IAGR launches international campaign against illegal online gambling
Regulation2 min read
In brief
- IAGR is holding its first International Illegal Gambling Awareness Week from 9 to 13 November.
- The campaign urges consumers to check a site is authorised where they play.
- The CheckBeforeYouPlay.org tool, built with Sharp Vision, is due to go live on 9 November.
The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is launching its first International Illegal Gambling Awareness Week. The campaign will run from 9 to 13 November. It aims to alert consumers to the risks of using online gambling platforms that have no licence.
Its core message is that people should check a website is authorised in the territory they play from before placing a bet. The initiative was presented at the IAGR Annual Conference in Lima, Peru. It is intended to coordinate, for the first time, an international consumer information campaign in which all regulators in the association will take part.
The campaign will highlight the consequences of playing on unauthorised platforms, including not being paid winnings, lacking effective ways to resolve complaints and misuse of personal and financial data. It also warns that such operators may not provide the player protection measures that licensed companies must meet. A further risk it cites is that users may unknowingly end up financing criminal organisations.
A main resource will be CheckBeforeYouPlay.org, a free tool due to go live on 9 November with the collaboration of Sharp Vision. Sharp Vision is described as a technology company specialising in solutions for gambling supervisors. Users will be able to enter the address of a betting site and see the available licensing information for the IAGR's participating jurisdictions. The tool draws on regulatory registers and other verified public sources.
IAGR president Ben Haden said the reach of online gambling makes it a shared challenge for regulators. Haden said coordinating consumer communications can help more people understand why a local licence matters. Kevin Mullally, the association's CEO, said people tend to confuse visibility with trust. Mullally said the association wants checking a website's status to become a routine step before opening an account or making a deposit.