Can Gambling Restore Trust? Industry Tackles Social Licence Challenge (2026)

The Gap Between Regulation and Public Trust

Regulation alone is no longer sufficient for the gambling industry to maintain operational legitimacy. While jurisdictions worldwide have implemented comprehensive licensing frameworks, compliance schemes, and harm-prevention mandates, public trust in gambling remains fragile. This widening gap between regulatory approval and social acceptance—known as the social licence problem—is becoming a defining challenge for the sector.

1xBet's recent establishment of 1xCare, a non-governmental organisation funded by the operator's owner and administered through RG Practises Ltd, exemplifies one approach: direct industry investment in third-party harm-prevention and community support initiatives designed to demonstrate genuine commitment to responsible gambling beyond minimum regulatory requirements.

Why Public Trust Matters More Than Ever

Social licence is fundamentally about whether communities and stakeholders accept an industry's right to operate. Unlike regulatory compliance, which is top-down, social licence is bottom-up. It flows from public perception, media coverage, political support, and the lived experiences of players and their families.

Operators with strong social licences enjoy competitive advantages: easier regulatory approvals, higher-quality talent attraction, customer loyalty, and resilience against political pressure. Those lacking public trust face accelerating headwinds—from advertising restrictions to payment processor withdrawal, player recruitment challenges, and political campaigns for market closures or bans.

The launch of 1xCare signals that at least some major operators recognise that self-regulation and corporate social responsibility are no longer optional extras but essential business infrastructure.

Can Industry Initiatives Actually Rebuild Trust?

Skeptics argue that initiatives funded by operators themselves risk appearing like public relations exercises rather than genuine harm-prevention efforts. NGO independence—real or perceived—will be critical to whether such programmes shift public sentiment.

Industry experts engaged on the question remain divided. Some contend that authentic commitment to harm prevention, transparently measured and independently verified, can gradually rebuild trust. Others argue that deep-seated concerns about gambling's social impacts are structural and cannot be overcome through corporate initiatives alone.

Implications for the Sector

What is clear is that the social licence question is reshaping industry priorities. Operators are investing in responsible gambling infrastructure, funding independent research, and partnering with public health organisations. This shift is driving new service categories—reputation management, independent outcome verification, stakeholder engagement consulting—that will grow as operators compete on the social licence dimension.

Regulators, meanwhile, are watching closely. Several jurisdictions are beginning to incorporate social licence assessments into licensing decisions and compliance reviews. For the broader industry, the lesson is stark: regulation provides the table to play at, but social licence determines how long you stay at that table.