The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has joined in support of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR)’s first-ever Illegal Gambling Awareness Week campaign, scheduled to run from 9-13 November.
The global awareness campaign resulted in the launch of a new website where users can verify whether a site is regulated in their jurisdiction and seeks to help consumers identify and avoid illegal gambling platforms.
"We want gamblers to enjoy themselves while remaining safe, and that starts with knowing whether the site they are using is licensed in the jurisdiction; unlicensed is unprotected," IAGR CEO Kevin Mullally said.
"People frequently mistake familiarity for trust. Gamblers may be familiar with the website name, but the operator may not be licensed in their jurisdiction, and in other instances, illegal operators purposefully build sites to appear familiar and credible with the intention of purposefully deceiving gamblers.”
Illegal Gambling Awareness Week will also introduce a “consumer-facing creative platform” designed to simplify unlicensed gambling risks and show how illegal entities can “appear familiar and entertaining while offering none of the safeguards consumers receive with properly licensed operators.”
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, who previously touched on responsible gambling efforts in Ontario as part of her CEO Special interview with Global Gaming Insider, also addressed the need to better identify illegal platforms.
"Ontario's regulated iGaming market is built on clear standards that protect players, from responsible gaming safeguards to strong anti-money laundering controls," Dr. Schnarr said.
"Sites operating outside that framework may offer none of that protection, and they can look just as legitimate. The AGCO is proud to support Illegal Gambling Awareness Week because Ontarians deserve to know who they're dealing with before they place a bet."
In May, the AGCO also helped promote the launch of iGaming Ontario’s new BetGuard self-exclusion tool for online players, which restricts players from accessing their existing accounts, creating new accounts and receiving marketing communications from regulated sites.
The program helps Ontario players set exclusion terms of six months, one year, five years or a custom length of time as well.
The AGCO amended the province’s lottery standards to allow for built-in cameras to be used at self-service terminals and expand flexibility for the OLGs SST program on 28 October
