The International Association of Gaming Regulators has launched CheckBeforeYouPlay.org for Canadian consumers to check whether gambling websites are licensed in their province. IAGR said the tool arrives in time for Illegal Gambling Awareness Week and urged regulators to coordinate communication about unauthorised sites.
Consumers can check whether gambling websites hold the local provincial licences required to operate.
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The International Association of Gaming Regulators will hold its 2026 annual conference in Lima, Peru, from 19 to 22 October, chief executive Kevin Mullally said in a message to members. Mullally described the event as one of the most important in the organisation's history and said it would bring together regulators, policymakers and international experts.
Regulators from Florida, Massachusetts and Nevada described challenges in tackling illegal online gambling at a recent industry panel. Florida Gaming Control Commission law enforcement director Carl Herold said enforcement has shifted towards more technology-focused methods, while Nevada Gaming Commission vice-chairman Brian Krolicki called for international cooperation. IAGR managing director Kevin Mullally said the association plans an international awareness week later this year.
The UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) CFO Leina El-Barasi said the regulator is establishing financial and procurement frameworks designed to scale. She also described its aim of building a financially strong, digitally enabled authority operating with discipline and integrity.
The GCGRA reportedly plans to allow one B2C online gaming operator in each participating UAE emirate, subject to individual emirate approval. Two or three of the seven emirates are expected to opt in, according to the report; the authority has not announced the operator licensing model in the supplied text.
The UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority is preparing an online gaming framework that would allow each emirate to decide whether to participate and permit one B2C operator in each participating emirate. Sources familiar with the process described the proposed model; no launch date or final framework is stated.