Player protection is a complex and difficult topic in a world where regulations and customs differ across the globe. But working in plenty of countries and markets does offer operators a good bird’s-eye view of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to player safety and tackling problem gambling.

There are tools that operators come back to time and time again, but are they the most effective way of keeping players safe while on site? Are there more innovative ways of doing this, and how can regulators and politicians help support operators in this?

Those are questions that Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor at 1xBet, wants to get to the bottom of. Westbury has been working on a player safety strategy at 1xBet and has worked to produce a report in association with SBC Media on player protection in Western Europe.

Early Intervention

Perhaps one of the most important aspects in creating an effective player protection strategy is knowing when to intervene. Westbury is an advocate of being able to notice when a player is struggling with their gambling at an early stage, allowing operators to reduce the reliance on activity that may come from players showing signs of harm.

The strategic advisor outlined that there is a certain onus on operators to intervene rather than relying on players to self-exclude when they feel their gambling is out of control.

“We need to identify problem gamblers at the earliest stage to help them,” Westbury told SBC News. “I know there’s a big discussion around self-exclusion but I think actually, when it comes to someone who may have a problem with gambling, you don’t really want to leave it up to them. But at the same time, as an operator, you don’t want to dictate to someone what they can play and what they can’t play.”

As detailed in multiple conversations with SBC News, Westbury is a proponent of measured, well-thought-out and strategised responsible gambling policies, but wants to maintain a fine balance between personal liberty and genuine protection.

He explained: “I think in terms of safer gambling and player protection, there has to be a conversation between everyone, but it’s not necessarily about restricting the player because we are the entertainment industry, but at the same time, we do need to intervene at the earliest stage.

“We also need to look at how operators and regulators can work together, within the right data and privacy frameworks, to stop people at risk from simply moving from one site to the next. That kind of joined-up thinking is essential. So to me, it’s not necessarily about the tools, it’s about the discussion and the early intervention at the earliest possible stage.”

Assessing the current tools

Self-exclusion is just one of the common tools that operators use to temper problem gambling on their platforms. But, as Westbury outlines, that puts the responsibility on the player to notice their gambling is getting out of hand themselves.

Other tools exist, such as KYC controls, deposit limits and affordability checks – all of which place the responsibility back into the hands of the operator. Twinning player-led and operator-led tools helps to provide a holistic approach to player protection. These four outlined tools were the most popular tools within the International Player Safety Index.

But how effective does 1xBet’s Strategic Advisor think these tools can be?

“I think they can work if applied correctly, but at the same time, I think it’s important to have a discussion around the best tools that can be used at the earliest stage, because if someone’s getting to the point of self-exclusion, they’re self-excluding themselves because they’ve identified a problem,” he said.

“Now, here’s a shared responsibility on us as operators to be aware and proactive, not reactive, when it comes to potential signs of harm.. I think we’ve come a long way in certain markets. Gambling on credit cards has been outlawed, which I think is a good step, because gambling on credit is never good, and I think it’s an evolving market, and I think we probably need some new tools. What are those tools? I’m not sure. I’m not that expert on the technological side of intervention, but I think there needs to be some new tools, and I think those will come from discussion and engagement.”

In the report, there were other player protection mechanisms that aren’t so popular, including microbreaks and player curfews. For Westbury, there was little surprise that these are unpopular, citing personal liberties once again.

He said: “Does anyone like to be micromanaged? No, and I think that’s how I’d answer that, in terms of, if you’re going into the minutiae of someone’s life, I think that’s a challenge, because actually, you can focus too much on one small point and not look at the whole picture, and everything has to be a 360 view overlooking the whole scenario.

“It’s becoming restrictive and I think they’re subjective. They’re not objective in terms of the overall view of the player’s life cycle, how they deposit with you, etc. I look at the big picture rather than micro points of focus. But again, that’s not saying they’re wrong. Just because they’re unpopular with an operator doesn’t mean they’re unpopular with the players.”

Opening up the debate

As aforementioned, Westbury is an advocate of open debate and regular dialogue between operators, regulators and lawmakers to outline best practices across the globe on player protection.

With 39 local licences, 1xBet seeks to engage constructively with regulators and stakeholders on player safety, and aims to share and learn from best practices where it’s appropriate.

Westbury is a key part of that in his role, which he took up in the summer of 2025. And something that he is passionate about is ensuring that the gambling sector gets a fair hearing with external stakeholders.

Yet that needs the buy-in of the operators, as well as the strategic communications to portray the correct message. After all, the gambling sector will always attract critics.

“There’s always going to be the challenging percentage of the market, because you’re never going to get it 100% right, and there’s always going to be issues,” Westbury outlined. “But if you’re not seen to be engaging and you’re being seen to preach and lobby ineffectively, and I go back to the UK and some of the FOBT discussions – rightly or wrongly, that was a problem there.”

He continued: “I don’t think the UK industry particularly came out of it well… how we engaged in the issue. I’m not saying the media in the UK particularly helped that conversation either because there were two extremes and the middle ground was kind of lost. If you don’t engage as an operator in the market that you are, the regulation goes from the middle ground to the extreme.

“When you have extreme regulation, rightly or wrongly, and you’re managing to maybe challenge players around safer gambling that don’t have a problem, then they’re going to go to the black market as well. So actually, you’re pushing people who don’t have an issue with gaming into a black market, which is also wrong.