Entain Foundation Launches Mental Wellness Drive In The United States

Mental health issues in sports and esports is very much an in vogue topic at the moment after many years of being almost entirely disregarded.

And Entain are looking to play their part through their non-profit United States based subsidiary Entain Foundation U.S.

The company has joined forces with one of the biggest names in mental and behavioural health in the United States, INTENTA, to launch an esports mental wellness campaign which has been aimed at the broad esports community and those with a vested interest in it.

Named the #MindYourGame campaign, it is the latest move in the industry by the UK-based esports giant after what has already been a hectic year for the company.

Busy Year For Entain Thus Far

The company has also been in the news relatively recently when Entain purchased BetCity for $850m back in June and then in October, Entain’s 1B loan became news when the company sought additional liquidity, increasing the value of its initial loan by an additional $250 million from the original $750m.

Entain owns a number of popular sports and esports betting sites around the world including the likes of Unikrn, as well as newly-acquired sites in the Netherlands, Croatia and beyond.

However, the company has now reached out through its non-profitable organisation Entain Foundation U.S, and in conjunction with mental and behavioural health group INTENTA, to launch a mental wellness campaign throughout 40 states of the U.S.

Who Will The #MindYourGame Campaign Address?

This is not the first initiative that the Entain Foundation has been involved with that specifically targets the mental health of those within the esports industry.

Last year, the company was a partner with EPIC Risk Management, the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association and Kindbridge and launched a campaign to raise awareness and educate people about the potential to harm yourself while gaming.

This new initiative though targets a broader audience as the #MindYourGame campaign will be focused across 450 high schools and esports clubs, located across 40 different states in the United States.

However, it is not just the students or professional gamers that the campaign is aimed at with parents, professionals and educators all included in the target audience.

How Will Mental Health Issues Be Addressed?

The program will take on many forms, starting with the use of an educational series about esports and wellbeing called Gaming World.

The course aims to improve players’ awareness of their mental health within esports and to encourage them to engage in mindfulness.

Additionally, further topics to be discussed as part of the campaign will include the different career options available in gaming and esports, the benefits of playing esports, improving your mental health, playing esports safely, finding the right balance when playing esports and also a look at how esports can have different neurological impacts on the players brain.

While the initiative will be focused across 40 states, the core of the program will be aimed at schools in five states: Ohio, Oklahoma, California, New York and Texas.

“We are committed to supporting initiatives that encourage responsible gambling and gaming,” stated Martin Lycka, the SVP of American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gaming for Entain.

“That’s why we have partnered with INTENTA on the #MindYourGame campaign. Encouraging our players to actively manage their mental health is exactly the type of project we are proud to support.”