Customer protection meets responsible gambling: A strategic imperative for gambling brands in 2025

Player protection may have once been seen as an obligation, but now it’s a massive opportunity guiding gambling brands how to build customer trust says Hall & Partner’s Kurt Stuhllemmer

For decades, gambling brands have grappled with negative public perception, synonymous with risk, addiction, and broken lives. Yet in 2025, a unique opportunity has emerged to redefine not just how gambling is done, but how it’s branded. In an age of values-driven consumption, reputation isn’t a PR function, it’s a strategic asset. Gambling companies willing to embed responsibility into their brand DNA are poised not just to repair consumer trust but to lead a new era of ethical entertainment.

From stigma to strategy: How gambling brands can build trust, transparency, and long-term brand equity

Improving public perception isn’t just about optics; it's about integrity, sustainability, and long-term brand equity. While some high-profile scandals have cast shadows, like Crown Melbourne’s A$120 million fine for repeated responsible gambling breaches or Betfred’s £3.25 million penalty in 2023 for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, other brands are offering a new blueprint.

Paf, for instance, introduced a mandatory annual loss cap, positioning them as an ethical leader. FanDuel launched "The Comeback with Craig Carton," a campaign centered on addiction recovery and support. The Postcode Lottery stands out for embedding charitable giving and social impact into its business model, allocating a significant portion of proceeds to nonprofit causes and showing how gambling can serve broader social good.

Closer to home, Entain has made notable strides with its Advanced Responsibility & Care (ARC) programme, a proactive AI-driven player protection system designed to identify risk and intervene before harm occurs. Entain has also committed to donating £100 million to research, education, and treatment (RET) services through its not-for-profit Entain Foundation. This signals a long-term investment in sustainable play.

At the same time, macro forces are reshaping the gambling industry landscape. Regulatory scrutiny is tightening across jurisdictions, while younger consumer segments expect more than entertainment, as they seek fairness, transparency, trust and social alignment. Gambling brands must adapt or risk irrelevance.

So how can gambling brands break through the stigma and earn genuine trust?

• Put responsible gambling at the heart of your brand campaigns 
  
  Responsible gambling must be more than a checkbox or disclaimer. Brands that embed it into the very fabric of their customer experience will stand out as leaders. Offer real tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion options, and clear information on game mechanics and odds. Highlight these features in marketing campaigns and educate your users openly and often. Promote these safeguards actively in communications, not just in the small print
  
• Shift the storytelling: From winnings to player wellness 
  
  Gambling ads traditionally emphasize unrealistic outcomes. Today's audiences seek honesty, not hype. Reframe the narrative around gambling as entertainment - a fun, social, and engaging experience. Showcase real customer stories that reflect responsible behaviour and highlight company efforts toward safe gambling, mental health, and community contributions.
• Engage in open and honest communication to win consumer trust 
  
  Transparency builds consumer trust. Be proactive in sharing information about how games work, data protection measures, and addressing customer concerns. Publish regular reports on player protection, social responsibility, and corporate ethics. Create genuine dialogue with your community through social media, feedback channels, and partnerships with advocacy groups.
  
• Collaborate Strategically to Earn Brand Credibility 
  
  Collaborate actively with mental health professionals, addiction support services, and community organisations. These partnerships demonstrate a commitment to responsible gambling by addressing risks and supporting vulnerable individuals. Co-create educational content, fund research, and support local initiatives visibly. These moves are more than CSR checkboxes. They are brand trust signals
  
  
• Lead the conversation with responsible gambling advertising 
  
  Advertising significantly impacts public perception and it’s a chance to own the narrative by shaping consumer perception with purpose. Its more than just maintaining expected high ethical standards by avoiding predatory language, ensuring age-appropriate placements, and promoting responsible gambling messaging consistently across all platforms. Build campaigns that promote awareness and informed play rather than pressure. Look to lean into the positives that gambling can deliver and make them about people, our need for excitement, escapism, community and adventure.
  
• Use transparency as a Brand Positioning Tool
  
  Brand trust is built in the open. Share regular, plain language reports on player safety measures, complaints and resolutions, and responsible gambling performance. Give customers visibility into your values and actions.
  
• Learn from Brands That Transformed Consumer Trust
  
  Building trust is essential for long-term brand health, particularly in categories under public scrutiny. Gambling brands can borrow from industries like finance and tech, which have also faced consumer scepticism. Consider how Monzo, a digital bank, redefined trust in banking by putting transparency and user-centric design at its core. With clear fee structures, spending insights, and open dialogue with users, Monzo turned what was once a low-trust category into a model for loyalty and advocacy.
  Diageo provides another model. Once targeted for its role in alcohol-related harm, it now leads with responsible drinking initiatives and clear educational messaging. Its shift shows how even high-risk sectors can reframe their role with sincerity and long-term investment.

Gambling brands can take similar steps by designing user tools that truly protect players, making corporate values visible in product experiences, and ensuring open, human communication. These signals matter, not just to customers but to regulators, partners, and future talent.

Don’t leave it to chance. It’s time for gambling brands to step up. Breaking the stigma surrounding gambling requires intentional, sustained effort. The payoff includes stronger brand loyalty, regulatory goodwill, and a respected, resilient gambling ecosystem - A Strategic Framework for Trust. 

Trust doesn’t emerge by accident. It requires a cohesive brand strategy that aligns experience, message, and values. The See, Feel, Think, Do model offers a clear guide:

• See: Ensure the brand is distinct, memorable, and visibly committed to safe play. Design experiences that signal responsibility through visuals, tone, and features.
• Feel: Build emotional resonance by showing empathy, support, and care. Highlight stories that humanise the brand and demonstrate impact.
• Think: Communicate clear benefits, not just in entertainment value but in fairness, transparency, and ethical alignment.
• Do: Make it easy to play responsibly. Offer intuitive tools, quick access to support, and user-friendly interfaces that prioritise wellbeing.

Gambling brands must ask not just "Are we compliant?" but "Are we trusted?" In a saturated, sceptical market, the difference between a transactional player and a loyal advocate lies in transparency, care, and courage.

Audit your brand now. If responsibility isn’t at your core, you’re not just risking fines. You’re eroding relevance. The brands that lead with responsibility won't just survive. They'll thrive.