Against The Odds
Against The Odds Education & Awareness CIC is a UK social enterprise delivering gambling harm prevention workshops, one-to-one recovery coaching, and youth-led awareness programmes to people aged 16-24 across further education colleges and elite sports clubs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Against The Odds does
Against The Odds Education & Awareness CIC is a UK-based social enterprise founded in 2021 by Aaron Abbott to deliver gambling harm prevention education, awareness, and recovery support primarily to young people aged 16-24. The organisation operates a three-pillar service model: (1) in-person evidence-informed educational workshops delivered at client sites across UK further education colleges, Premier League and EFL football academies, Premiership Rugby clubs, cricket organisations, and the NFL Academy UK; (2) one-to-one recovery coaching (ATO Recovery) delivered by RCP-qualified coaches with lived addiction experience, structured as 12-52 week programmes with WhatsApp check-ins; and (3) the Awareness Club and Student Leadership Team, a youth-led platform for 16-24-year-olds to shape campaigns and programmes. Supporting content assets include the 'Against The Podds' podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube) and the Locker Room blog.
The business is service-based with no proprietary technology platform; delivery relies on human facilitators, lived-experience storytelling, and curriculum grounded in the founder's 12-year gambling addiction history and £250,000 personal losses. There are no AI, API, or software products; the sole digital integration noted is WhatsApp for recovery support check-ins. Reach is documented as 126+ workshops, 3,209+ students impacted, 36 organisations served, with a 91% client rebook rate and a 9.07/10 average student speaker rating.
Revenue is generated through custom, quote-based B2B and B2C contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed but appears to operate on multi-year contract cadences for organisational clients. The entity is a privately-held Community Interest Company structured to reinvest in community benefit rather than distribute profits, explicitly free from gambling industry funding, with no external institutional investment or parent company. Operating geography is England, with delivery spanning Edinburgh to London.
Against The Odds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Against The Odds
- Legal name
- Against The Odds Education & Awareness CIC
- Website
- https://againsttheodds.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Against The Odds Education & Awareness CIC is a UK social enterprise delivering gambling harm prevention workshops, one-to-one recovery coaching, and youth-led awareness programmes to people aged 16-24 across further education colleges and elite sports clubs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Against The Odds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Gambling Harm Education and Recovery Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Responsible Gambling & Player Protection Solutions (MPAEACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Services (EDALAFAE), Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)
Keywords
Where Against The Odds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Against The Odds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Workshop Delivery: Revenue is generated through delivering educational workshops on gambling harm to organizations. Workshops are booked through contact forms and cover topics including introduction to gambling, addiction progression, advertising awareness, and sport-gambling relationships.
- Recovery Coaching Services: One-to-one recovery coaching sessions delivered by professionally qualified coaches with lived experience. Programmes range from 12-52 weeks and include WhatsApp check-ins, emergency support, and personalised recovery plans.
- Awareness Club Membership: The Awareness Club drives greater understanding of gambling-related harm among 16-24-year-olds, highlighting the influence of gambling advertising. This is offered as part of the holistic service offering.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom workshop packages for educational institutions and sports organizations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Against The Odds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Against The Odds delivers in-person educational workshops and one-to-one recovery coaching services focused on gambling harm prevention for young people aged 16-24 in the UK. The organisation combines prevention workshops, awareness initiatives (Awareness Club and Student Leadership Team), and personalised recovery coaching programmes (12-52 weeks) delivered by coaches with lived experience of addiction. Services are sold primarily to professional sports clubs, further education colleges, and universities across the UK.
Product overview
Against The Odds is a social enterprise offering a three-tiered approach to gambling harm: Prevention through education workshops, Awareness through the Awareness Club and Student Leadership Team, and Treatment through ATO Recovery coaching services. The organisation delivers workshops across UK educational institutions and elite sports clubs, supported by the Against The Podds podcast and recovery coaching programmes ranging from 12-52 weeks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Against The Podds: A podcast featuring inspiring stories themed around gambling addiction and wider addiction topics, shining a light on personal stories and challenging misconceptions.
- ATO Recovery
- Awareness Club
Products and services
- Education Workshops Relatable, engaging, and evidence-informed prevention workshops for young people aged 16-24 that spark open discussion, promote critical thinking, and empower them to navigate gambling risks. Workshop topics include Intro to Gambling & Story of Addiction, Creative NXTGEN Advertising, Unhealthy Relationships Between Sport & Gambling, ATO Talks, and Up-Skilling Staff on Gambling Harm.
- ATO Recovery Coaching One-to-one recovery coaching providing fully personalised programmes (12-52 weeks) delivered by professionally qualified coaches with lived experience of addiction. Covers gambling, drugs, alcohol, and athlete support, focusing on lifestyle, mindset, emotional wellbeing, structure, habits, social connection, and relapse prevention. Includes WhatsApp check-ins, emergency support, and personalised recovery plans.
- Awareness Club Programme that drives greater understanding of gambling-related harm among 16-24-year-olds, highlighting the influence of gambling advertising. Includes a Student Leadership Team (SLT) giving young people a platform to share views and shape programmes and campaigns.
- Elite Sport Engagement
Quantifiable outcome
- 94% reported improved understanding of gambling's physical and mental impacts
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Against The Odds
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Against The Odds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Against The Odds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Leicester Gambling Harms Strategy Development GroupcoreAgainst The Odds Education & Awareness CIC has been invited to join the Leicester Gambling Harms Strategy Development Group — a collaborative initiative led by Leicester City Council's Public Health team. The group brings together key voices from mental health, suicide prevention, children and young people's services, substance misuse, homelessness, primary care, and the criminal justice system alongside those with lived experience of gambling harm.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Against The Odds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- YGAM (Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust): YGAM is a UK charity delivering gambling-harm education programmes to young people aged 11-24 in schools, colleges and universities. It competes head-to-head with ATO's prevention workshops in the FE and HE segments and shares the same young-person prevention mission.
- EPIC Risk Management: EPIC Risk Management is the most direct competitor: a gambling-harm prevention consultancy that delivers education, training and treatment services to professional sports clubs, leagues, universities and corporations across the UK, US, Australia and Europe. Both organisations target the same elite-sport and FE customer base with lived-experience-led workshops.
- The Big Step: The Big Step is a Scottish gambling-harm charity linked to Scottish football that delivers prevention education to fans, players and community programmes. It competes with ATO in elite-sport gambling education, particularly given ATO's work with Edinburgh Rugby.
- Gordon Moody Association: Gordon Moody provides residential and online gambling addiction treatment, including recovery coaching and aftercare. It overlaps directly with ATO Recovery's 12-52 week structured coaching programmes, though Gordon Moody is more clinically oriented and serves a more entrenched addiction cohort.
Broad incumbents
- GamCare: GamCare is the UK's leading national gambling-harm support charity, operating the National Gambling Helpline, treatment services and a broad education programme. It is the dominant incumbent against which ATO Recovery must differentiate on personalisation and lived-experience coaching.
- National Problem Gambling Clinic (CNWL NHS): The NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic offers free specialist psychological treatment for problem gambling in London (with regional clinics). It is a publicly funded alternative to ATO Recovery and represents both a potential referral partner and a competitive threat on price.
Regional players
- Beacon Counselling Trust: Beacon Counselling Trust provides gambling-specific counselling, therapy and training services primarily across the North West of England. It overlaps with ATO Recovery on one-to-one support and shares ATO's sport-sector exposure in regional football communities.
Emerging players
- Adferiad Recovery: Adferiad Recovery is a Welsh charity providing integrated substance use, gambling, mental health and housing recovery services. It overlaps with ATO Recovery's wider gambling/drugs/alcohol coaching offer and represents a regional competitor in the broader UK recovery market.
- Aquarius (Aquarius Action Projects): Aquarius is a Midlands-based charity providing support for gambling, alcohol, drugs and other risk-taking behaviours among young people and adults. It is geographically adjacent to ATO's Tamworth base and competes for similar education, college and community funding streams.
- Clean Up Gambling: Clean Up Gambling is a campaign and advocacy group founded by affected individuals, pushing for UK gambling reform. While primarily advocacy rather than service delivery, it amplifies the policy tailwind that drives institutional budgets towards ATO's workshops.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Against The Odds social profiles
Digital presenceAgainst The Odds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Against The Odds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Against The Odds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Against The Odds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Against The Odds
What does Against The Odds do?
Against The Odds delivers in-person educational workshops and one-to-one recovery coaching services focused on gambling harm prevention for young people aged 16-24 in the UK. The organisation combines prevention workshops, awareness initiatives (Awareness Club and Student Leadership Team), and personalised recovery coaching programmes (12-52 weeks) delivered by coaches with lived experience of addiction. Services are sold primarily to professional sports clubs, further education colleges, and universities across the UK.
Is Against The Odds a public or private company?
Against The Odds is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Against The Odds founded?
Against The Odds was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Against The Odds based?
Against The Odds is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Against The Odds make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Workshop Delivery is the primary driver. The others are recovery Coaching Services and awareness Club Membership.
Who are Against The Odds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are YGAM (Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust), EPIC Risk Management, The Big Step and Gordon Moody Association. Broad incumbents are GamCare and National Problem Gambling Clinic (CNWL NHS). Beacon Counselling Trust is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Adferiad Recovery, Aquarius (Aquarius Action Projects) and Clean Up Gambling.
Does Against The Odds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Against The Odds.
What industry is Against The Odds in?
Against The Odds's product category is Gambling Harm Education and Recovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEACAJ, Responsible Gambling & Player Protection Solutions, with a secondary code of EDALAFAE, Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Services. Its NAICS code is 611620 and its SIC code is 8200.