Exclusive interview with GVC Holdings’ Director of Regulatory Affairs Martin Lycka

"The US regulation gives the industry an opportunity to avoid mistakes made in Europe in the past"

"Bringing betting on college sports into the regulated markets creates an opportunity for the operators to work together with the college and student bodies on prevention of manipulation," says GVC’s Martin Lycka.
2020-05-27
Reading time 3:25 min
Ahead of his participation at SBC Digital Summit North America, Lycka tells Yogonet about GVC's recent partnership with EPIC Risk Management in the US to address problem gambling. He supports the state-by-state approach for US sports betting regulation, and he notes the industry has repeatedly proven in the past that its integrity systems are very efficient at combatting manipulation attempts.

How to deal with problem gambling is one of the key issues facing regulators as sports betting and online gaming rolls out across the US, but GVC Holdings’ Director of Regulatory Affairs Martin Lycka believes the situation represents an opportunity to learn from mistakes made in other markets and set new standards.

As part of its response to the issue, GVC has already announced a partnership with independent gambling harm minimisation consultancy EPIC Risk Management to deliver education programmes to up-and-coming and professional athletes in the US.  

Ahead of his appearance at the SBC Digital Summit North America virtual conference and exhibition, Lycka tells Yogonet about the thinking behind the partnership and why getting responsible gambling right in the US could lead to improvements in other markets. 

Could you tell us about GVC’s partnership with EPIC Risk Management in the US?

The GVC Foundation US, GVC’s US-focussed educational project, has partnered up with EPIC Risk Management to provide responsible gambling and sports integrity education in 14 US states. The course revolves around EPIC’s unique lived experience method. We are currently in the process of assembling a high calibre crew of organisations amongst professional teams and colleges that will be part of the programme. So please watch this space; there are announcements to be made in the foreseeable future. 

Why did GVC select EPIC as its education partner for the US?

GVC has worked with EPIC Risk Management in the UK, where Paul Buck, John Millington and their team have done a phenomenal job, in particular in terms of raising awareness of problem and responsible gambling issues amongst professional athletes and other vulnerable groups. Engaging them for our US-focussed educational programme was a no brainer, in particular bearing in mind that most US states are at the beginning of a long regulatory journey that might be fraught with certain difficulties unless addressed early on.

What differences do you see in how operators need to approach the issue of safer gambling in the US from in Europe and Latin America?

I would suggest that owing to the nascent nature of the US sports betting and internet gaming markets the approach needs to be to get the basics right, i.e. explain to all the stakeholder groups what betting and internet gaming is and how it works before taking on more complex issues such as responsible gambling. Clear communication is absolutely key. At the same time, the US regulation gives the industry an opportunity to avoid mistakes it has made in Europe in the past. Having said all that, the US lessons, I’m hoping, will cross fertilise our Europe and LatAm-related thinking as well. 

What steps would you like to see regulators take to help combat problem gambling as sports betting and online gaming continues to roll out across the US? Is there room for a country-wide approach rather than states each drawing up individual guidelines?

I believe the state-by-state approach serves us well because it allows the reflecting of cultural and other idiosyncrasies that characterise individual US states and crucially their betting histories, or in some cases, absence thereof. It would be naive to think about the US as a monolithic territory with perfectly aligned interests amongst the 50 states. As regards combatting or rather preventing problem gambling, I’m a big believer in continuous education and awareness campaigns as the crucial means of prevention. Having said that, treatment of gambling addiction and its funding must not be underestimated either. 

One worry often raised about legalising betting in the US is the impact it may have on the integrity of sports - and in particular, college sports. Is this a legitimate fear and, if so, what can operators, regulators and sports administrators do to protect athletes and guard against fixing? 

Yes, it is a concern, also in light of the fact that the NCAA is in the throes of reconsidering its approach to athlete endorsements. I would suggest that as opposed to trying to square the circle by means of a variety of bans on betting on college sports, bringing betting on college sports into the regulated markets creates an opportunity for the operators to work together with the college and student bodies on prevention of manipulationThe industry has repeatedly proven in the past that our integrity systems are very efficient at combatting manipulation attempts and other associated nefarious events.

Martin Lycka will be joined by Paul Buck (CEO, EPIC Risk Management) and Bill Pascrell III (Trustee, GVC Foundation US & Partner, Princeton Public Affairs Group) for the Being Proactive On Problem Gambling session at SBC Digital Summit North America. The panel is part of the Regulatory track at the virtual conference and exhibition, which takes place on July 14-16 2020. Passes are now available here.

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