In 2021/22, the company said its curriculum was delivered to 34,759 students across all four home nations, a curriculum centred around responsible betting and funded independently of the gambling industry.
Sessions were delivered either face-to-face or via online resources, with 191 schools visited, including 84 state schools.
A total of 13,821 students at state schools received the programme for free as a result of the “holistic” Gambling Harm Education scheme, delivered in partnership with Whysup and Teen Tips. Patrick Foster, Epic’s Head of Delivery for Education and CSR, commented on this figure.
He said: “If that’s how many we’ve spoken to directly, goodness knows how many brothers, sisters and family members have heard it via that trickle effect – it’s probably far wider.”
The 2021/22 programme allowed the lived experience team to tell their stories in person once more after Covid caused disruptions in 2020/21. Foster believes these stories and in-person delivery are crucial in “making the message hit home.”
“The impact of face-to-face delivery and having someone stood up in front of an audience has been so evident to us this year,” he added.
“Part of that is a legacy of Covid, with schools having had to digest so much material through online resources.
“As a result, we’re going to offer even more face-to-face sessions in future, but we understand that there is a place for digital dissemination too, because it offers so much additional reach and it’s instant.”
Going forward, Epic plans to focus more attention on loot boxes within video games. This comes after it criticised the UK Government’s recent refusal to impose a ban on loot boxes.
