1xCare Report Examines the Future of Player Education

Why player education is becoming a key industry priority

As regulated gambling markets continue to evolve, player protection is increasingly moving beyond basic compliance requirements. Operators are investing in safer gambling tools and responsible gambling measures, but the effectiveness of those initiatives also depends on whether players understand them, know when they are relevant and are willing to use them.

“Shaping the Future of Player Education” explores this challenge from an international perspective, examining how operators, regulators and the wider gambling ecosystem can rethink player education to support safer and more sustainable gambling environments.

The report considers whether education should play a more central role throughout the player journey, rather than being confined to static responsible gambling pages or introduced only after signs of risky behaviour have emerged.

Learning from other industries

One of the report’s key areas of analysis is the comparison between gambling and other industries where consumers are exposed to financial, behavioural or other forms of risk.

The research looks at approaches used by investment platforms, cryptocurrency businesses, prediction markets and state-run lotteries, examining how these sectors communicate risks and educate their customers.

What can gambling learn from other sectors?

The report explores how different industries communicate risk to their users, where gambling currently leads and where it may still have room to improve.

It also considers lessons from investment and crypto education, as well as the ways lotteries integrate player protection into the broader customer journey.

At the same time, the report highlights behavioural protection as one of gambling’s key strengths, pointing to the potential for more targeted and engaging approaches to player education.

From compliance to meaningful player engagement

A central theme of the report is the idea that player protection should not be viewed exclusively through a compliance lens.

For a sustainable gambling market, players need to understand the products they use, recognise potential risks and have sufficient knowledge to engage with the tools available to help them remain in control.

This raises a broader question for operators and regulators: how can responsible gambling education become part of the player experience rather than an additional layer of information that customers may overlook?

Behavioural science and positive play

The report examines the role of behavioural science and consumer engagement in developing more effective education strategies.

Rather than relying exclusively on traditional responsible gambling messaging, the research considers how education can become more relevant to the individual player and how positive play strategies can contribute to safer gambling environments.

This approach also creates opportunities to rethink how, when and where responsible gambling information is delivered.

The role of operators and employees

Player education does not begin and end with the customer-facing experience. The report also examines the importance of staff training and operator best practice.

Employees across gambling businesses can play an important role in identifying risks, communicating responsible gambling measures and helping customers understand the tools available to them.

The report therefore considers education as a broader organizational responsibility, involving both players and the people responsible for delivering gambling products and player protection services.

AI and the future of player protection

Artificial intelligence is another important theme explored in the report, particularly as technology becomes increasingly integrated into player protection.

The development of AI-based systems raises questions about how technology can support risk communication, improve engagement with safer gambling tools and make player education more relevant without becoming intrusive.

For operators, the challenge will be to balance increasingly sophisticated technology with clear, accessible communication that players can understand and act upon.

A global perspective on player education

“Shaping the Future of Player Education” also examines the relationship between player education, regulatory policy and compliance across different markets.

With gambling regulation developing at different speeds around the world, approaches to responsible gambling and player protection vary considerably between jurisdictions.

International comparisons can therefore provide useful insights into which education strategies are proving effective, where gaps remain and how regulators and operators can adapt to changing expectations.

The report addresses a range of themes, including:

• Player education and safer gambling
• Behavioural science and consumer engagement
• Staff training and operator best practice
• Artificial intelligence and player protection
• Workplace gambling education
• Regulatory policy and compliance
• International comparisons
• Risk communication
• Positive play strategies
• Sustainable gambling markets

A report for the wider gambling ecosystem

The research is aimed at a broad industry audience, including gambling operators, regulators and policymakers, responsible gambling and player protection professionals, compliance teams, researchers and academics, industry associations, technology providers, investors and advisors focused on sustainable gambling.

For an industry facing growing expectations around player protection, the report provides an opportunity to examine whether current education strategies are achieving their intended purpose—and what the next generation of player education could look like.

Download “Shaping the Future of Player Education”

The full report provides a deeper analysis of the challenges and opportunities surrounding player education, including international comparisons, industry examples and considerations for operators and regulators.

Download the full “Shaping the Future of Player Education” report

Simon Westbury, Chairperson of 1xCare, said:

 "Outcome trumps process": "The true measure of successful player protection regulation should be whether harm decreases, not how many compliance steps it introduces."

 "If all stakeholders can better share information between each other, it might just make gambling a much safer environment."