IAGR schedules first illegal gambling awareness week for 9–13 November

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) announced the first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week (IGAW), scheduled for 9–13 November 2026, the association said. IAGR presented the initiative at a briefing during its annual conference in Lima. The campaign is the first coordinated international effort to inform consumers about the risks of unauthorised online gambling, according to the association.

The week will support communications coordinated by jurisdictions that belong to the association. Its central message is that consumers should check, before betting, that a site is licensed in the jurisdiction where they are playing. IAGR members may add their own institutional branding to the campaign materials, publish content daily between 9 and 13 November, distribute communications locally and arrange media interviews. Consumer protection bodies, organisations that promote responsible gambling and other relevant entities will also be invited to take part.

Campaign materials will be available from 6 November for distribution through the channels of all IAGR members. The initial package will include 30-second and 15-second videos, social media content, a draft press release and key communication points, in English and Spanish. R&R Partners, an independent marketing and communications agency with experience in public information and behaviour-change campaigns, developed the creative concept and the IGAW materials.

The November campaign will feature CheckBeforeYouPlay.org, a free licence-information checking tool provided by Sharp Vision, a Paris-based company specialising in technology for gambling regulation. The company supports regulators in monitoring markets, analysing betting and payments data and identifying unauthorised online gambling sites. Available from 9 November, the tool will let consumers enter a gambling site's URL and check the licence information available for IAGR member jurisdictions included in the service. Checks will draw on regulator registers and other verified public sources.

IAGR set out the risks it associates with unauthorised sites: unpaid winnings, limited options for resolving disputes and misuse of personal or financial data. Consumers using such sites may also miss responsible gambling measures that apply to locally licensed operators, the association said. Poorly informed consumers could also unknowingly fund criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, terrorism financing or other illegal activity, according to IAGR.

Ben Haden, president of IAGR, said the spread of online gambling makes this a challenge shared by regulators. He said that by coordinating consumer communications, the association can help more people understand why it matters that an operator holds a valid local licence and where to find reliable information before using its services. Kevin Mullally, CEO of IAGR, said people often confuse visibility with reliability, and that a professional-looking website or a recognisable name can inspire confidence even when consumers do not know whether the site is licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. He said IAGR wants consumers to make a habit of checking a site's licence status before opening an account or making a deposit.

Regulators and organisations interested in taking part can contact IAGR by email.