Dr. Michael Auer, Managing Director of the behavioural analytics company Neccton, won the 2025 VIXIO Global Regulatory Awards (GRAs) for his work to make gambling safer. The award, "Outstanding Individual Contribution to Safer Gambling," was given out at a ceremony in London where industry leaders and regulatory experts met to talk about compliance, corporate social responsibility, and player protection in the global gambling business.
Stricter Rules Push Safer Gambling to the Forefront
The GRAs are currently in its ninth year and honour achievement in 22 areas, including compliance, technology, responsible gaming, and regulatory operations. This year's gathering made it clear that as regulations get stricter and new markets open up, it's more important than ever for individual leaders to promote safer gambling habits. Mike Woolfrey, CEO of VIXIO Intelligence, said, "The quality of entries this year has been exceptional".
Key Factors Elevating Dr. Auer’s Work
Dr. Auer has a lot of experience in responsible gambling, behavioural analytics, and machine learning methodologies in both research and real life. Since starting Neccton and leading its integration into operator-facing player-protection solutions, he has been focused on using data insights and personalised treatments to find high-risk gambling behaviours early on.
This means that responsible gambling features should be built into the player experience instead than being added on later. This is in line with both legal requirements and the long-term health of the business. Dr. Auer said in a prior interview, "We think that an independent approach to player protection is very important..."Larger companies often utilise their own hidden and non-transparent solutions.
The GRAs judges chose Dr. Auer for the award because he is a person who connects research, technology, and the use of safer gambling solutions in the real world.
What the Award Signals for the Wider Industry
Operators, regulators, and suppliers are all under pressure to show that they are making player-protection frameworks better. The industry is moving away from reactive measures and towards proactive ones, which include data analytics, AI-driven monitoring, and nudging methods. This is because new markets and regulatory systems are appearing.
The prize will probably help Neccton and its partners get more people to use the company's solutions and methods. It shows how important it is for the whole business to have safer gambling practices that are based on research and supported by technology. This is especially important in a crowded regulatory environment.
The Road Ahead for Safer Gaming
Dr. Auer's success sets a high bar for personal leadership in the field of safer gaming. As regulators pay more attention to the business, especially when it comes to operator duty of care and automated monitoring, it seems that those who can turn behavioural science and analytics into scalable, operator-friendly technologies are the ones who will be able to keep up. The award not only acknowledges prior work, but it also shows that the next step towards safer gaming will be led by people who can combine real-world experience with operational deployment. The bar for how well people and businesses do in the safer gaming field has been raised because people are already looking forward to the 2026 awards.