The International Association of Gaming Regulators has launched CheckBeforeYouPlay.org, a free tool intended to help Canadian consumers establish whether an online gambling website holds a licence in their province.
Users enter a gambling site’s web address to view available licensing information in IAGR member jurisdictions. The service draws on regulatory records and other verified public sources, according to Casino.org, and was developed by Paris-based regulatory technology company Sharp Vision.
The checker provides licensing summaries for Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba, whose regulators are IAGR members: the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the British Columbia Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch and the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba.
It was rolled out during IAGR’s first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, which ran from Nov. 9 through Nov. 13. The internationally coordinated campaign sought to alert consumers to the risks posed by unlicensed websites and encourage them to check a site before opening an account or depositing money.
Kevin Mullally, IAGR’s chief executive, said a polished website or familiar brand could create confidence even when a site was not licensed in the consumer’s location. IAGR has identified unpaid winnings, weak dispute-resolution options and misuse or theft of personal and financial information among the risks associated with unlicensed operators. GamblingNews also noted the association’s concern that unlicensed sites may lack responsible-gambling safeguards.
The initiative forms part of IAGR’s broader push against unlicensed gambling. iGamingBusiness reported that the association promoted the tool during the awareness week alongside education and policy outreach work.
Ontario illustrates both the scale of the regulated market and the remaining consumer-protection challenge. As of Nov. 12, the province had 48 licensed iGaming operators running 83 websites. An Ipsos study released by iGaming Ontario in May found that 91.1% of respondents who gambled online said they used regulated sites, up from 83.7% a year earlier, leaving just under one in 10 reporting use of unregulated sites.
Ontario’s regulated iGaming market generated CA$416.3 million in revenue in September, up 5% from August, while active player accounts reached a record 1.413 million. Sports-betting revenue was CA$69.1 million, a 27% monthly increase.
