Following the release of the Player Protection Index Report – Western Europe, 1xBet ‘s Strategic Advisor, Simon Westbury, will participate in an industry panel on 12 November during Player Protection Week, discussing how operators and regulators can strengthen cooperation to deliver earlier, consistent and effective safeguards for players.
1xBet confirmed overnight 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, 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.
“This isn’t about pointing out issues – it’s about working together on solutions and building bridges,” said Westbury. “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.”
Independent research from the International Player Safety Index: Western Europe found that 60% of operators rate player protection highly in their primary market but 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, 1xBet said.
It added that 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 channelization.
The company explained that strategic focus areas it is currently evaluating include:
- 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 minimization.
- 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 prior to any deployment.
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 explained, serving 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.
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