IAGR launches global campaign against unlicensed gambling

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has launched a global campaign with Botswana's Gambling Authority to help consumers identify and avoid unlicensed gambling websites and apps. The campaign encourages consumers to check whether betting sites are authorised in their jurisdiction before wagering.

IAGR and the authority will publish digital messages about the risks of unlicensed gambling. IAGR president Brian Kroklic said illegal websites were becoming more numerous and harder to distinguish from legitimate operators.

Consumers can check whether a platform is licensed in Botswana through the authority's website. The website's results draw on regulatory records and other verified public sources. The organisations said authorisation in one jurisdiction did not necessarily permit a website to offer gambling elsewhere.

IAGR chief executive Kevin Mullally said consumers could mistake a familiar website for evidence that its operator was licensed. He said some illegal operators designed their platforms to appear familiar and credible in order to mislead gamblers.

IAGR warned that users of unlicensed websites could lose access to dispute resolution and gambling protections, and expose personal and financial information to fraudsters. Botswana's minister of trade and entrepreneurship, Tiroeone Ntsima, previously warned that illegal platforms posed particular dangers to young people. Ntsima said the platforms lacked safeguards against gambling addiction and could contribute to addiction and financial instability among young people without intervention.

Gambling Authority chief executive Moruntshi Kemorwale said public education helped consumers understand responsible gambling and recognise the risks of unlicensed platforms.