The League of Ireland has announced the launch of a new gambling awareness and harm prevention programme aimed at players, coaches, match officials and association staff across Irish football.
The initiative, endorsed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), the National League Committee and the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFA Ireland), will be delivered by consultancy Epic Global Solutions.
The programme will run for an initial three-year period and is described as the first initiative of its kind implemented across League of Ireland clubs.
Under the programme, former professional footballers and athletes who have personal experience of gambling harm will lead 70 in-person workshops each year.
These sessions will be held at training facilities nationwide and will cover senior men’s and women’s teams, academy squads and women’s development league teams, alongside dedicated sessions for officials and FAI staff.
In total, the programme is expected to reach more than 2,000 participants annually, with education focused on recognising gambling harm, understanding betting-related risks and reinforcing integrity standards.
Epic will also facilitate UEFA-standard betting integrity training in line with FAI regulations.
League of Ireland Director, Mark Scanlon, said: “As the League of Ireland grows each year, it is very important to work with all stakeholders including our players and match officials at the centre of the game to stress the importance of integrity at all levels.”
Scanlon added: “This partnership with EPIC also means we can look to prevent potential gambling harm amongst our players.”
The programme is funded by Flutter, which previously supported Epic’s launch of what was described as the world’s first gambling harm prevention programme in professional football in partnership with the English Football League in 2017.
That initiative has since reached more than 10,000 participants across professional football environments.
Stephen McGuiness, General Secretary of PFA Ireland, said: “This three-year partnership with EPIC and the League of Ireland is about safeguarding the future of our game.”
McGuiness added: “Protecting player wellbeing and helping them make informed choices is a responsibility we take seriously.”
Paul Buck, EPIC Global Solutions CEO, said: “This prevention-based programme looks to empower players to recognise the signs of gambling harm and better understand pathways to support.”
Kevin Harrington, Flutter UKI CEO, said: “As a major betting operator, we pride ourselves in leading the industry on safety and trust.”
The programme follows wider community-focused initiatives backed by Flutter, including record demand for its Cash4Clubs scheme, which attracted more than 1,000 applications from grassroots sports organisations across the UK and Ireland in 2025, many supporting adults facing mental health and social challenges.
Flutter has invested nearly £7m ($9.4m) into local sports initiatives through its Cash4Clubs programme since its launch more than 15 years ago
