EPIC Risk Management expands esports focus with latest hire
Jonathan Peniket joins gambling-related harm education advocacy firm to raise awareness of loot box addiction
EPIC Risk Management has hired Jonathan Peniket as an online gaming and esports consultant as the advocacy group looks to expand its educational remit into the emerging vertical.
In his new role with EPIC, Peniket will be tasked with delivering esports and gaming educational sessions to the firm’s professional sports partners across the UK, Europe and the US.
Peniket has spoken out about video game loot boxes and their links with gambling after becoming addicted to purchasing them in 2012.
“EPIC contacted me after I told my story about loot box addiction on the BBC earlier this year. I feel that it is helping me to make a real difference in educating on the very real dangers of gambling within video games,” Peniket said.
“Though gaming may be a slightly new angle for EPIC, it is one the company takes seriously, and I am grateful to be able to use my expertise to help it to tackle issues within gaming,” he added.
Loot boxes have come under increasing scrutiny in the UK over the last 12 months, most notably in the House of Lords inquiry into so-called immersive and addictive technologies.
Last month, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) ignited a two-month long consultation to gain evidence on in-game loot box purchases and whether they drive gambling-like behaviour among underage individuals.
The government wants to generate a “clearer understanding” of the loot box market in the UK, including how it operates and the potential impact of increased controls and regulations.
Other regulators in international markets including Belgium have already banned loot boxes in video games sold within their borders.
“The esports and gaming landscape is an area that is receiving more and more scrutiny and the recent House of Lords Gambling Committee calls for evidence and discussions concerning video game loot boxes in a real signifier of that,” EPIC Risk Management CEO Paul Buck said.
“We feel that with Jonathan on board, added to a new advisory board of leading experts to be announced in the coming days, we have someone who can help shape our approach and help connect with an extremely important demographic,” Buck added.
EPIC’s clients include the British Army, Barclays Bank, NFL Players Association, Harvard University and the English Football League.