IAGR announces Illegal Gambling Awareness Week for November 9-13 with licence-check tool

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has launched a global campaign aimed at warning consumers about the risks of unlicensed gambling. Called Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, or IGAW, it will take place from November 9 to 13. The regulator body announced it at its annual conference in Lima, Peru.

The central message for players is to check, before placing a bet, whether the website is licensed in the place where they are playing. The IAGR wants to help consumers tell legal operators from illegal ones and understand what is at stake when using the latter.

The association pointed to ongoing concern over the scale of unlicensed gambling. According to the source, studies in many mature markets have found that numerous players do not choose illegal sites on purpose but simply do not realise those sites lack a licence. The growth of the black market has also produced many legitimate-looking websites that can mislead even experienced players.

The IAGR listed several dangers linked to unlicensed operators: unpaid winnings, few options for resolving disputes, and misuse of personal data. Such sites may also lack responsible gambling tools. The body added that illegal operators are sometimes used to fund criminal groups involved in drug and human trafficking, or even terrorism.

The campaign was developed with R&R Partners. Materials including short videos, social media content, a press release and talking points will be available to all IAGR members from November 6 for distribution through their own channels. The initiative will also promote CheckBeforeYouPlay.org, a tool built by Sharp Vision that lets customers verify whether a site is regulated in their market.

IAGR president Ben Haden described the spread of unregulated online gambling as a shared challenge for regulators, saying coordinated consumer messaging can help more people understand why local licensing matters. IAGR CEO Kevin Mullally said many players confuse visibility with trust, noting that a professional-looking site or familiar name can create confidence without any licence. He said the aim is for consumers to routinely check licensing status before opening an account or depositing. The IAGR has invited interested companies to contact it directly to take part.