IAGR announces first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week

November campaign will encourage consumers to check whether online gambling sites are licensed where they play

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) today announced its first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week (IGAW), 9–13 November 2026, the first internationally coordinated effort to raise consumer awareness of the risks of unlicensed online gambling.

IAGR outlined the initiative during a briefing at its Annual Conference in Lima. The week will support coordinated communications by member jurisdictions. Its central message is straightforward: before you bet, check whether the site is licensed where you are playing.

“The reach of online gambling makes this a shared challenge for regulators,” said Ben Haden, President of IAGR. “By coordinating our consumer communications, we can help more people understand why local licensing matters and where to find reliable information before they engage with an operator.”

Consumers using unlicensed sites may face unpaid winnings, limited options for resolving disputes, and misuse of their personal or financial information. They may also lack access to responsible gambling protections required of locally licensed operators. Uninformed consumers may also unknowingly fund criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, terrorist financing, or other illicit activities.

R&R Partners, an independent marketing and communications agency with experience in public education and behaviour change campaigns, developed the creative concept and materials for IGAW. The integrated campaign will help raise awareness of the prevalence of unlicensed gambling websites and will work to educate consumers on how the websites exploit trust and how to avoid falling victim. The campaign materials will be available on November 6th for all IAGR members to distribute on their channels. The assets include: a 30-second and 15-second videos, social media content, a draft press release, and talking points, with English and Spanish included in the initial package.

IAGR members may add their agency branding to campaign materials, post campaign content daily during 9–13 November, issue local announcements, and arrange media interviews. Consumer protection bodies, responsible gambling organisations, and other relevant organisations will also be encouraged to participate.

The November campaign will feature CheckBeforeYouPlay.org, a free licensing information tool contributed by Sharp Vision, a Paris-based regulatory technology company that helps gambling regulators monitor markets, analyse betting and payment data, and identify unlicensed online gambling sites. Launching on November 9th, the tool lets consumers enter a gambling site’s URL and check available licensing information for covered IAGR member jurisdictions, drawing on regulatory records and other verified public sources.

“People often mistake visibility for trust,” said Kevin Mullally, CEO of IAGR. “A professional-looking website or a recognisable name can give consumers confidence without knowing whether the site is properly licensed in that location. We want consumers to routinely check the licensing status of a site before opening an account or making a deposit.”