MGCB joins inaugural Illegal Gambling Awareness Week to support international efforts

• MGCB spearheads inaugural Illegal Gambling Awareness Week in bid to protect consumers
• The latest initiative comes from the International Association of Gaming Regulators and is meant to protect consumers
• MGCB vows to continue pursuing action against illegal gambling websites and protect consumers

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has been rapidly expanding its efforts to support gambling awareness in the state and help consumers overcome the potential harms of excessive gambling.

MGCB joins Illegal Gambling Awareness Week to protect consumers

Part of these efforts now focuses on Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, which concludes today, Friday, November 13.

Hosted by the International Association of Gaming Regulators, the initiative seeks to help consumers recognize the dangers of connecting to unlicensed gambling websites, which the MGCB fully supports.

To help consumers immediately find out whether a website is safe and secure based on their location, the organization has introduced the CheckBeforeYouPlay.org website, designed to allow everyone to run a quick search of an operator URL and see if it’s regulated based on the jurisdiction they are in.

The MGCB has joined with a simple core message: Play it safe. Bet legal. The idea is to prevent harms that stem from joining illegal gambling websites, including but not limited to identity theft, gambling harm, and more.

In a statement, MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said:

"Illegal gambling operators want you to believe they’re just another option. They’re not. When you play with an unlicensed operator, there’s no one verifying your age or identity, no one making sure your winnings get paid, and no regulator you can turn to when something goes wrong. Michigan built a legal market with real consumer protections, and we want every resident to know how to find it."

Regulator determined to raise awareness, and intervene quickly in instances of illegal gambling

Besides looking to raise awareness for regulated gambling options, Michigan has been on the offensive, too, targeting illegal gambling websites systematically.

Recently, the state has been embroiled in a legal tug-of-war against another sector: prediction markets.

Michigan has targeted Coinbase, Robinhood, Kalshi, and Polymarket, successfully compelling them to discontinue offering sports event contracts in the state, which the MGCB deems to be an illegal form of unlicensed gambling.

"Illegal gambling doesn’t stop at state or national borders, and neither can our response," Williams said on the occasion of seeing the regulator join the campaign, adding that it was also an opportunity for regulators to share information and intervene quickly in cases of unlicensed gambling.

Earlier this year, the MGCB teamed up with BetBlocker to provide problem gambling help resources and exclusion to native speakers of Vietnamese, part of the regulator’s broader effort to reach vulnerable communities.

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