Simon Westbury: “1xCare has been launched at a time when the responsible gambling conversation is louder than ever”

Simon Westbury, 1xCare Advisory Board Chairperson, spoke to Focus Gaming News about the launch of the independent NGO, detailing its proactive approach to safer gambling.

Exclusive interview.- 1xCare is a newly launched independent organisation advancing player protection and responsible gambling globally through research, education, well-being initiatives, innovative technologies, and collaborative partnerships.

In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Simon Westbury, chairperson of the 1xCare Advisory Board, discusses the thinking behind the initiative and why he believes the industry needs to move beyond what he describes as “performative compliance” towards player protection being embedded into products from the outset.

1xCare launches at a moment when the responsible gambling conversation is louder than ever. But so is the scepticism about whether industry-linked initiatives can be genuinely independent. How do you answer that scepticism, and what makes 1xCare structurally different from what’s come before?

I am delighted that we have launched at a time when the responsible gambling conversation is louder than ever. This brings a heightened sense of scrutiny and even more focus on delivering.

In terms of scepticism, I would go further and say, as an industry, that we have lost the connection between gambling and society. Gambling should be intrinsically, at its core, a leisure activity, but we also have to recognise that the conversation around safer gambling and player protection is needed to ensure that we build a long-term sustainable ecosystem for players to be entertained in a safe environment.

I have recently been in the UK and had many discussions with friends who are starting from the point that as an industry we are intrinsically bad. They talk about adverts during football, etc, not realising that we implemented a ban on adverts from whistle to whistle. From this season, we voluntarily, as an industry, stepped back from front of shirt sponsorships and during Covid we did not go crazy on advertising, as some operators did in other jurisdictions and then faced a gambling advert ban.

As an industry, I think we have looked for too long through the prism of instant gratification and we need to move past this instantism and move to ingraining long-term player protection and safer gambling tools into our products from conception. This will help us move past performative compliance and the tick-box exercises many in the industry undertake at the moment.

In terms of structural difference with 1xCare, we have set up an independent NGO under the Cyprus-registered non-profit company name of RG Practices Ltd, where I have taken on the role of director. So yes, we will be funded by the brand owner of 1xBet; the way money is spent is totally independent from influence of 1xBet. We have formed an advisory board that I am honoured to chair and that consists of industry experts who are independent from 1xBet and have been brought together to ensure not just independence and transparency but regulatory rigour.

The committee I am privileged to chair brings together three independent specialists with very different areas of expertise. Quirino Mancini brings regulatory and legal expertise, Sissel Weitzhändler leads on public policy and responsible leadership, and Chris Bird brings decades of experience across sport, integrity and sponsorship. None of these individuals is employed by 1xBet. Each was chosen for independence, expertise and a readiness to challenge us, and together they hold genuine authority over how our programmes are governed and funded.

You describe 1xCare as “not a reactive gesture and not a compliance instrument.” That’s a great statement. What does a proactive, non-compliance-driven approach to player protection actually look like in practice and how will you measure whether you’re achieving it?

1xCare is certainly not a reactive gesture; the idea was formed organically and grew from a series of reports that were commissioned to look at global regulation through the window of player protection and safer gambling. From these reports, we noticed that although there is most certainly not a one-size-fits-all approach that can be adopted, there were themes that transcended geographical locations. We saw a clear need for education of players on safer gambling, especially in Africa and LatAm where gambling was not viewed simply as a leisure pursuit but as a source of income. It became clear that operators were often confused because of the lack of clarity, consistency and communication.

The fact that 1xCare is independent means we are not simply a compliance instrument, and the four pillars we have set relate to education, research, technology and player well-being. We will be investing in these areas to further the areas of expertise not just for 1xCare but the industry as a whole. By focusing on these four key focus areas we will be proactively looking to invest in projects to enhance, further, and increase understanding of player protection and safer gambling.

In terms of achieving objectives, this is also a challenge, as spending money does not always lead to success. We will need to build trust over time, and I always believe actions speak louder than words. Announcing 1xCare was the culmination of one year’s work, but in many ways this was the easy part. Now we are focused on delivering a large body of work over the spectrum of 4 different foundation pillars. We are looking to invest in a focused and pinpoint manner and ultimately, as an independent NGO, we will be giving yearly updates on projects and investments. As with all these projects, I truly believe that the journey will be fluid and ever-changing, but the results will speak for themselves. Will everyone agree that we have moved the dial on the player protection and safer gambling field, who knows. However, I do know the advisory board and I are committed to verifiable change in the area and this will be shown in the results of the projects we invest in.

Gambling-related harm doesn’t respect borders, as you acknowledge. But regulation is still overwhelmingly national or regional. How does 1xCare navigate that tension, and where do you see the biggest gaps in the global responsible gambling ecosystem right now?

The biggest gaps in the global responsible gambling ecosystem are clear. We are seeing governments becoming increasingly focused on taxing the industry and not focused on how a sustainable ecosystem can be built. Now some of the responsibility for this has to lie with the industry as I mentioned above, as we have not managed to engage with society, governments and regulators in a positive manner for a protracted period of time. However, for me, when I see governments believing increased taxation, tightened regulation, making the regulated market commercially unviable for many, thus driving players to the offshore market, then I think we have a problem.

For 1xCare, we sit a little bit outside of this ecosystem as we are an NGO, focused on investing in projects that really look to increase education, provide balanced research, and increase the use of technology on player protection and safer gambling. Of course, these investments will not be focused on one country or region but will look to influence as wide a scope as possible to ensure we affect the maximum level of change possible.

The TechShield pillar focuses on behavioural monitoring and early risk-signalling. There is an obvious tension between using data to protect players and the privacy implications of monitoring behaviour at that level. How does 1xCare approach that tension responsibly?

Of course, there needs to be a balance struck between use of player data and privacy implications. However, as we will be investing in these projects it will be closely monitored during the funding submission process how the projects will ensure that data is used in the right way.

We have already been approached by a number of organisations for funding that have player data and some rudimentary technology they wish to develop. If those applications are successful, then 1xCare will invest in order to fund the research to understand how technology can be applied better in the field of safer gambling and player protection. We will have oversight of the deliverables of the project that will be agreed as part of the funding process but in terms of the granular data this is not something that we will have access to. Our aim is to use the research to help the development of future technologies, new or existing, to be built or enhanced to further player protection and safer gambling.

One of the most honest things in 1xCare’s founding documents is the acknowledgement that harm “does not present uniformly.” Different players, different cultures, different risk profiles. How do you build programmes that are genuinely sensitive to that diversity rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all model?

As I mentioned above, 1xCare started organically, from the reports that were commissioned by 1xBet. These were geographically diverse, and as 1xCare, we have already launched our first trend report. The varied focus of the reports demonstrated the wide breadth of information we were gathering before making any decisions. It is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. The challenge was understanding the different understandings from different cultures and risk profiles. It became clear, as the body of work developed, that 1xCare was needed, and the four pillars we have discussed became clear areas of focus.

I think it is important to note that 1xCare is not building programmes independently; we are working with partners, institutions, and industry bodies to ensure a wide-ranging, diverse, but focused portfolio of investments that truly move the conversation on player protection and safer gambling forward.

The Support & Well-Being pillar recognises that gambling harm rarely arrives alone: it comes with financial difficulty, mental health challenges, relationship strain. Most of the industry focuses on the gambling behaviour itself. Why is the holistic picture so often ignored, and what does 1xCare intend to do differently?

I am not sure that the holistic approach is ignored, but when there are competing organisations focused on their area of expertise, the joint approach can become a little muddy at times.

The whole purpose of the Support and Well-Being pillar is to understand how we can bring together the different areas that contribute to gambling harm and understand how we can help organisations work together to develop a holistic approach. We are also looking outside of gaming to understand if there can be lessons learnt and applied from other industries.

You’ve committed publicly to publishing research findings “without editorial restriction, including those that challenge prevailing assumptions.” Have you already encountered pressure (internal or external) to soften that commitment, and how do you intend to protect it?

I think we have all been around a long time in this industry, and I have commented previously on the levels of balance and fairness of industry journalistic focus. Although I am not sure those thoughts fit into this conversation.

I can honestly say that the only pressure I have experienced on the research findings and publications of those findings has not been editorial but design. These pressures have come from no one else, either internal or external.

If in five years someone asks whether 1xCare made a real difference, what would success look like? Not in terms of programmes launched or partnerships signed but in terms of actual outcomes for players and communities?

Firstly, I hope to be here in 5 years; if I am, it means we have delivered. It is impossible for me to give a list of actual outcomes now, and I always find, with the crystal ball question, I often end up looking more stupid than normal.

For me, it is about building trust, investing smartly and ensuring that although our scope of work is vast, the outcomes are delivered in a focused and meaningful way that stand up to the scrutiny I am sure will come. I know we will not please everyone, as it is natural to want more. I always want more but I know the team and I are fully committed to the long-term vision of being a central part of developing a long-term, sustainable, fun, entertaining and safe environment for players.