1xCare Chair Urges Gaming Sector to Shift from Compliance Box-Ticking to Genuine Independent Oversight

In an open letter to the international iGaming community, Simon Westbury, Chair of the 1xCare Advisory Committee, argues that the industry has reached an inflection point where passive compliance with responsible gambling rules is no longer sufficient. Westbury contends that player protection must be structurally separated from commercial operations through independent governance.

Westbury writes that for too long responsible gambling has been treated as a peripheral CSR exercise rather than a core operational duty. With regulatory pressures mounting across Europe and Latin America, and a new generation of digital-native players demanding both seamless experiences and demonstrable safety, the tension between growth and social licence is becoming acute. “Player protection is a pre-competitive necessity,” he states.

The 1xCare initiative is structured as a Cyprus-registered non-profit, RG Practices Ltd, funded by the owner of the global 1xBet brand. Westbury accepted his role only on the condition that the body possesses genuine governance autonomy and structural independence from commercial interests. The committee overseeing 1xCare includes recognised specialists: Quirino Mancini (regulation and law), Sissel Weitzhändler (public policy and regulation), and Chris Bird (sports and sponsorships). This committee holds absolute authority over strategy, policy, and capital distribution.

Four Operational Hubs

The framework rests on four distinct, data-driven pillars. The Research Hub funds independent peer-reviewed studies on player behaviour and micro-transaction addiction risks, with all findings to be published transparently. EduCare deploys targeted educational programmes across operator networks and, importantly, within sports communities tied to high-profile partnerships. TechShield focuses on algorithmic intervention, using machine learning to detect early markers of harm such as erratic betting velocity or sleep-pattern disruptions, enabling real-time preventative friction rather than retrospective blocking. The Support and Well-Being pillar provides direct remediation through grants to local helplines, clinical psychologists, and recovery services.

Westbury emphasises that industry has historically treated compliance as a competitive advantage, but that logic is flawed. He calls for open collaboration with academic institutions, regulators, and civil society, and plans to expand the Advisory Committee with academic and sports integrity experts. The long-term future of the sector depends on trust: “we are only as sustainable as our most vulnerable players.”