By Subair Mohammed
The Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) has intensified its responsible gambling campaign across the state, deploying technology and public awareness initiatives to curb gambling-related harms and protect players, particularly young people.
The Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Authority, Bashir Abiola-Are, disclosed this while speaking at a press briefing to mark the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week.
Abiola-Are said the authority had, over the past six years, increasingly focused on addressing the risks associated with gambling addiction, stressing that its regulatory responsibility went beyond revenue generation.
According to him, the authority is using technology to gather data, disseminate information and educate the public on responsible gambling.
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He said, “We are focused on using technology to gather data and also disseminate information in this regard. We are not stopping there.”
The LSLGA boss disclosed that responsible gambling campaign advertisements had been placed on more than 50 buses operating in Lagos, while free Wi-Fi services on trains were also being leveraged to expose passengers to educational videos warning against underage gambling.
He said the initiatives were part of efforts to prevent gambling-related addiction from reaching the level of abuse associated with drugs and alcohol.
Abiola-Are, however, expressed concern over the activities of illegal gambling operators, noting that regulators faced difficulties controlling operators who were not licensed.
“What we have to worry about are the illegal gambling operators because if they are not licensed, how do we get to control the technology that they are selling to their consumers?” he asked.
He explained that the LSLGA was established primarily to regulate the industry and prevent gambling from being abused, rather than to generate revenue for government.
“As regulators, we are not established for revenue. We are to control gambling so as not to be abused. But out of that, we issue licences and penalise illegal activities,” he said.
He added that revenue generated from the sector was being channelled towards addressing some of the social vices associated with gambling.
The LSLGA chief executive also disclosed that the state deliberately restricted the location of casinos, saying licences were not issued for casinos in residential neighbourhoods.
“If you go around Lagos, you will realise that casinos are not in the neighbourhood. This is deliberate. It is a policy direction that we are not going to issue licences for casinos in residential areas but only in hotels and resorts,” he said.
According to him, the policy is aimed at minimising the potential negative effects of gambling on communities.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in Africa’s gambling industry have launched the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, a five-day continental initiative aimed at promoting responsible betting and strengthening player protection across the continent.
The initiative, which began on Monday, September 7, and ends on September 11, 2026, is being convened by the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), in collaboration with the LSLGA, industry associations, operators and safer gaming organisations across participating African jurisdictions.
Speaking at the briefing, a representative of the African iGaming Alliance, Olabimpe Akingba, said the initiative was designed to provide a continental platform for stakeholders to promote responsible betting, educate players about gambling-related risks and improve access to support services.
Akingba said safer gambling was a shared responsibility that should not be left solely to individual regulators, operators or jurisdictions.
She noted that the rapid development and increasing interconnectedness of African gaming markets had made collaboration on player protection increasingly important.
According to her, while betting contributes to employment, tax revenues, technological development, entertainment and wider economic activity, stakeholders must also confront the potential harms associated with gambling.
She said the campaign would encourage players to bet within their means, set spending limits, take breaks, use available self-exclusion tools and seek professional assistance where necessary.
Akingba also urged members of the public to recognise early signs that betting may be becoming harmful and seek help for themselves or people close to them.
She said the campaign would extend the safer gambling conversation beyond the industry through public awareness activities targeting universities, markets and other community environments.
She stressed that the continental initiative was not designed to establish a single regulatory framework for African countries, given differences in market maturity, regulatory systems, consumer behaviour and available support services.
Rather, she said, the objective was to promote knowledge sharing, common responsible-gaming messages and stronger cooperation among jurisdictions while allowing individual countries to develop solutions suited to their regulatory and cultural environments.
The African iGaming Alliance said the initiative would also strengthen relationships among regulators, operators, industry associations, counselling and treatment organisations and other stakeholders involved in player protection.
