Bet on Sport

First meeting under the Bet on Sport project was held in Athens
14.01.2025
The first international meeting of the Bet on Sport project, which is aimed at tackling the growing problem of gambling addiction, especially sports betting, took place in Athens in the period 12-14 January 2025. The meeting brought together representatives from seven countries – Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Greece, Finland, Italy and Turkey – to discuss the project's main activities and implementation strategy. The meeting was attended by Joanna Dochevska, Chairperson of Bulgarian sports development association, which represents Bulgaria in this important initiative.
The Bet on Sport project uses sport and physical activity as a means to support the recovery and improve the mental and physical wellbeing of people struggling with gambling addiction. It aims to equip at least 200 professionals from the fields of addiction treatment, healthcare and sport with the skills to develop and implement sport programmes as part of addiction therapy. In addition, the project will foster collaboration between 100 professionals from these fields in order to offer a holistic approach to the problem.

The meeting in Athens marked the start of an analysis of the specific needs of individuals affected by gambling addiction and the identification of the most effective types of sporting activities for their recovery. The requirements of the health and sports professionals who will be involved in the project were also discussed in order to establish an integrated protocol for cooperation. During the course of the project, an online training course will be developed to enable professionals to work together effectively and to implement pilot activities in all participating countries.

In order to increase its impact, the project foresees large-scale awareness-raising campaigns. Collaboration and innovation within Bet on Sport aim to offer sustainable solutions to combat gambling addiction through the power of sport, turning this project into a transformative initiative. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and will run for 28 months.