Player protection is one of the most important aspects of creating a long-term, sustainable industry but finding out what it takes to create an ecosystem within the industry to promote these practices is difficult.
1xBet has spent the last 12 months working in partnership with SBC Insights to research the current state of the industry with regards to player protection, both on a geographical level and from a player education perspective.
The International Player Safety Index explored three regions – Western Europe, Africa and Latin America – to explore the opportunities and challenges of player protection, asking operators about the tools they provide players to keep safe, as well as the quality of regulations for promoting player safety.
Speaking at SBC Summit Tbilisi this week, 1xCare chair Simon Westbury explained some of the key findings of the series.
Learning from the evidence base
“Outside of Western Europe, safer gambling and player protection tools aren’t enshrined in the regulation. Sitting here as an operator, you may not believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think it’s ever a good idea when player protection is left to the operator. I think it needs to be ingrained in any regulatory environment just to give a common standard.”
In part three of the IPSI, focusing on Latin America, some of the headline grabbing statistics included: 63.6% of operators feel like local regulations provide clarity on safer gambling policies, 69% of operators use real-time activity monitoring and 34% use AI to track players’ behaviour on safer gambling and 56% of operators in the region curtail or alter their advertising in some ways with a view to player protection.
“Latin America was interesting because they’ve gone through a honeymoon period of regulation, and we were seeing the use of technology far outstripped Western Europe, which is maybe viewed as a bastion of player protection,” said Westbury.
“In Latin America in particular, regulation is becoming about taxation, and I think we all see that in Western Europe. But interestingly, in both Latin America and Western Europe, the majority of operators said they were happy with the regulation, which comes down to engagement, and I think as an industry, we need to engage with regulators more.”
The biggest takeaway from the Western European report was that regulatory inconsistencies across the region were causing confusion. Around 70% of respondents said they vary their approach to player protection in a meaningful way, while 30% attempt to remain consistent.
Despite a genuine attempt to provide a best-in-class player protection environment, respondents felt like the regulatory landscape imposed too many stumbling blocks.
Westbury told attendees in Tbilisi his thoughts: “I do have sympathy for regulators because they’re given the laws by the government, and then they have to learn to apply those laws. When you look at the UKGC advertising a head of black market with a £65k salary, that’s not really attracting the best talent to that role.
“I think there were many different learnings from the different reports, but I think the one thing that needs to come about is that player protection and safer gambling tools need to be enshrined in the regulatory environment.”
In Africa, the overriding sense was that regulation is scarce, and even where it does exist, it does not adequately include player protection mechanisms.
“There’s no clear definition of what player protection or safer gambling needs to be,” Westbury added. “Africa really showed there’s an education piece that the industry needs to do because the majority of players in Africa were viewing gambling as a form of income generation, and that’s not what gambling should be. It’s a leisure activity.”
Putting words into action
The purpose of the IPSI series was to open up a discourse and begin the cycle of engagement that 1xBet felt was necessary for the industry to move forward from a regulatory perspective.
Those conversations are continuing at conferences and in boardrooms, but 1xBet is taking things one step further. This month the operator launched 1xCare, a non-profit organisation affiliated with 1xBet, which exists to contribute towards research, education, technology and well-being support for the global industry.
Westbury is the Chair of 1xCare and is joined on the advisory board by former Manchester City COO Chris Bird, former president of IMGL Quirino Mancini and former Allwyn Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Sissel Weitzhändler.
“Our mission is to understand the four pillars and how we can make a difference within player protection,” Westbury said.
He said that its education targets go far beyond just player education.
He continued: “It’s education that can be done outside and inside the industry. Can we work with PSG or FC Barcelona and bring some information to young players coming into the game?
Can we bring a more balanced approach to research into gambling? In terms of the research that’s out there being very pro-gambling or negative around gambling, can we find a middle ground that actually benefits the industry?
“How can technology be applied within safer gambling so that it’s not intrusive, it’s not clinical? Ultimately, the majority of your players come to play and they don’t have a problem, but you need to give tools to those players that do have a problem.”
1xCare remains in its launch phase but has lofty ambitions. It aims to provide funding for gambling harm research and contribute towards debate around technology, education and well-being around player protection.
As the advisory board gets to work to deliver the ambitions, Westbury noted that it’s essential that it remains open and transparent about its projects and delivery.
“The good thing about being an NGO and a separate entity is we will publish financial reports, there will be annual reports on what we’ve delivered.”
It is the driving force of why Westbury joined 1xBet as a strategic advisor in 2025. He wanted to help the operator engage better with the industry after having what he described as a ‘never complain, never explain’ approach to communications.
1xCare was the natural evolution of the work laid out in his first year.
“They needed someone to come out and deliver their message to help them be understood a bit more by the industry because there was no one delivering that message.
“I got involved because I want to make a difference at 1xBet, through 1xCare, and also want to make a difference in building a sustainable industry.
“If you build that sustainability and we can be seen as the leading authority in defining player protection so it’s enshrined in regulation, I think that’s a good step.”
