The Paquetá and Henrique cases: A wake-up call for gambling risk education

As two Brazilian footballers find themselves at different ends of sporting integrity cases – West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá being cleared of potential betting charges as an investigation into Flamengo’s Bruno Henrique begins – what is the cost of such investigations to both the individuals and the clubs they represent? EPIC’s Marc Williams, formerly of Wales U21 and Wrexham, penned the following thoughts for his LinkedIn blog, which we’re reproducing in full here…

Two entirely different sports and betting integrity cases involving Brazilian footballers are currently in the headlines, with one of those cases in particular – The FA’s decision to clear Lucas Paquetá of ‘not proven’ spot fixing charges – attracting worldwide attention.

We don’t focus on the whys and wherefores of these cases at EPIC. That’s not because we want to sit on the fence, but because we know that players face enough trial via social media and personal stress as soon as these cases hit the press – something that is now adding extra complications to the instance involving West Ham’s Paquetá and his de facto ‘not guilty’ verdict.

In the instance of Flamengo’s Bruno Henrique – where Brazil’s Prosecution Office of the Superior Court of Sports Justice has charged him with allegations of ‘spot fixing’ during games in conjunction with family and friends – there’s another issue at play: a live case that we don’t want to judge or confuse with added speculation.

Where we want to differentiate and take the conversation is to look at where this discussion could have been prevented from even taking place. EPIC exists to provide experience powered prevention, taking what our team learned the (extremely) hard way through mistakes in their own careers to help ensure that others don’t repeat the same errors. That’s what we’re doing with clubs, leagues, player associations and governing bodies who are already trying to protect their people from the potential for gambling-related harm.

We engage with thousands of elite level athletes and hundreds of their teams at close hand every year, with much of that engagement undertaken by former professionals from that space, so we’re uniquely placed to understand gambling’s potential for harm from all perspectives. It’s prudent to add that much of this work is supported by the gambling industry, which also wants integrity to be pivotal to the competitions it helps to underpin with considerable funding.

We have identified four key points relating to these cases, why they occur, and what the consequences can be:

• Gambling harm is a people risk: It affects players, staff, and executives across all levels – proactive education is essential to protect welfare and build cultural awareness.

• It undermines performance: Stress, secrecy, and distraction linked to gambling harm can erode focus and consistency in elite environments.

• Reputational damage is real and rapid: Integrity breaches impact whole organisations, and only those with credible, proactive strategies weather the scrutiny.

• Operational and regulatory risks are rising: With tighter PSR and growing scrutiny, clubs must embed integrity and compliance into day-to-day operations to avoid financial and strategic setbacks.

The points on performance and operational or regulatory risks are especially important for those who are reliant on player success or trading for the sustainability of their organization.

For a club like West Ham, Paquetá’s limbo isn’t just a headline; it’s a real PSR headache. With the clock ticking on the window and FFP pressures mounting, having a major asset effectively unsellable during the investigation period puts a squeeze on flexibility. It’s a reminder that integrity cases don’t just play out in the press – they can jam the gears of strategic planning too.

That’s before the obvious issues of the extra stress and strain it places on the individual under scrutiny; the impact that has on the person and their performance is the issue most likely to be at the forefront of Flamengo and Henrique’s mind in the weeks ahead. Many outlets are suggesting that Paquetá and his agent are considering their options for recourse after the negative effect the investigation has placed on his career.

That’s not to say that sports governing bodies and national governments shouldn’t publicise their investigations where they have genuine cause for concern. A fair and rational level of deterrent for genuine integrity breaches has to exist, and the transparency of confirming why investigations are taking place is of considerable importance for the trust and sporting integrity of the competition.

So what’s the solution to this issue that re-emerges sporadically around the world with players of considerable repute being linked to instances of gambling-related rule transgressions? We will always come back to education. Clubs employ coaches who know what they’re doing in order to improve their players’ skillsets, and it stands to reason that they should also bring in speakers who know what they’re talking about – from bitter lived experience – to improve their knowledge of the off-field challenges that could easily become on-field distractions.

It’s something that we’ve been doing for over a decade, and we may have prevented other similar cases to this from ever coming to pass with the right message at the right time, but there is still so much to do in this regard, as there aren’t many organisations doing what we do and still so many top athletes to reach.

Our hope is to plug as many of the gaps that exist in the markets that we can currently serve, but as an interim, we’d strongly advise that clubs, leagues, governing bodies and player associations take a leaf out of our white paper’s book and delve into the recommendations we’ve been promoting since its release in 2023 – all based on the recommendations of player performance specialists, welfare professionals and representatives of the gambling industry. Placing education and awareness at its heart, the conclusions are evidence-based from those who have previously helped to negate gambling from harming their organisation. They can be viewed in full here.

There will, sadly, be further examples of cases like those we’ve been tracking with the likes of Paquetá and Henrique; that’s the nature of a by-product that captivates and enthrals to an extent that a small percentage find impossible to resist. The difference we’re seeking to make is the vast reduction of the frequency of such cases, as better educated players, coaches and leaders in the industry proactively address gambling risk education and integrity culture in elite sport.