Following the release of the Player Protection Index Report – Western Europe, 1xBet Strategic Advisor Simon Westbury will join a panel on November 12 during Player Protection Week to explore how operators and regulators can collaborate more effectively to enhance player safeguards.

1xBet confirmed its participation in a Player Protection Day webinar, co-hosted with SBC Media, to continue the industry dialogue initiated by the Player Protection Index – Western Europe.

The session which is titled “Strengthening the crucial relationship between operators and regulators” — will be hosted by Steve Hoare, of the Player Protection Hub and joined by Player Protection Experts, Peter Marcus, Director of the Marcon, Anton Kaszubowski, Director of Greenlaw Limited, and Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor to 1xBet. The discussion will explore how both operators and regulators, despite sharing the same objective of protecting players, often experience misalignment in expectations, implementation, and communication.

Drawing on insights from 1xBet’s supported research, the panel will highlight best practice, identify friction points, and discuss pragmatic reforms that balance regulatory integrity with player experience.

Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor, 1xBet said: “This isn’t about pointing out issues — it’s about working together on solutions and building bridges. Operators and regulators ultimately want the same outcome: a safe, sustainable, and trusted marketplace. The challenge lies in turning shared intent into shared standards.”

“At 1xBet, we believe protection should be built-in, not bolted-on. That means earlier engagement, consistent frameworks, and practical guidance operators can apply proportionately across jurisdictions. Through open dialogue, data transparency, and empathy, we can design systems that genuinely protect players, without pushing them into unlicensed spaces.”

Why it’s important

Independent research from the International Player Safety Index: Western Europe found that:

• 60% of operators rate player protection highly in their primary market;
• 43% are unsatisfied and 26% uncertain about the quality of regulatory guidance.

The findings underline the need for earlier collaboration and clearer, shared definitions of success between regulators and operators.

Inconsistent frameworks create friction for responsible operators and open doors to leakage from the regulated channel. Earlier, data-led, human-centered interventions, supported by practical, auditable standards which can improve outcomes while maintaining channelisation.

Strategic focus areas under evaluation by 1xBet

• Assessing a structured audit cadence of protection triggers and outcomes across key markets;
• Exploring friction-light, risk-based checks with privacy-by-design and data minimisation;
• Evaluating broader use of multi-operator tools (where available) to support earlier, consistent interventions;
• Considering ways to share benchmarks and learnings with regulators and peers to support cross-border minimum standards;
• Investigating AI-assisted workflows with transparent logic and independent testing before any deployment.

Looking ahead

The Player Protection Day webinar on 12 November marks the next milestone in 1xBet’s commitment to advancing responsible gaming through insight, cooperation, and transparency. It will serve as a live forum for cross-sector dialogue, encouraging new standards of clarity, empathy, and shared accountability in how player safety is defined and delivered.

Forthcoming study: The next qualitative report in the series will examine African markets, focusing on consistency, early intervention and data-sharing in rapidly evolving frameworks.