The Lagos and Oyo State governments have declared their support for Gamble Alert\u2019s campaign to promote responsible gambling practices across Nigeria, stressing the importance of regulatory frameworks and mental health interventions.\n<\/p>\n
The support was declared at the 2025 Responsible Gaming Symposium held in Lagos.\n<\/p>\n
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, represented by the Deputy Director and Head of Special Projects and Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Tolu Ajomale, praised Gamble Alert\u2019s advocacy efforts.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are encouraged by the work of organisations like Gamble Alert, advocating for responsible gambling and engaging stakeholders to provide safety nets for users.<\/p>\n
\u201cGambling cannot be banned outright, but it must be made safer for those at risk of addiction,\u201d the commissioner stated.\n<\/p>\n
Abayomi said Lagos State had made significant investments in mental health, including helplines and trained personnel at both primary and tertiary health institutions.\n<\/p>\n
He also revealed the state was constructing a 500-bed mental health facility with a 1,000-bed rehabilitation wing, described as the largest of its kind in West Africa.<\/p>\n
He stressed the urgency of cross-sector collaboration, adding that a unified database was needed to track gambling-related health issues and support intervention planning.\n<\/p>\n
Abayomi further noted that while gaming companies were required to offer self-exclusion options, enforcement remained inconsistent. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a need to standardise and make these safety measures mandatory across all platforms,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Oyo State also reiterated its commitment to enforcing responsible gambling laws.\n<\/p>\n
The Chairman and Director General of the Oyo State Gaming and Lotteries Board, Boladuro Olajide, noted that the state had developed regulatory frameworks since 2023 and conducted continuous outreach to rural communities.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are actively sensitising people in underserved areas like Fokor, Akobo, and Igbeti.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernor Seyi Makinde has provided resources for campaigns, roadshows, and local radio broadcasts to promote responsible gambling and prevent underage participation,\u201d Olajide said.<\/p>\n
He also cautioned Nigerian youths against over-reliance on gambling as a means of livelihood.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a path to wealth. We must steer young people away from addiction and toward meaningful opportunities,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n
The Chief Executive Officer and founder of Gamble Alert, Fisayo Oke, said the symposium was organised to foster dialogue between regulators, health professionals, gaming operators, and researchers.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis platform is designed to shape robust policy and promote sustainable practices in the industry. \u201cResponsible gaming is not optional. It is critical to the survival of the sector,\u201d Oke said.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Lagos and Oyo State governments have declared their support for Gamble Alert\u2019s campaign to promote responsible gambling…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1215,1216,1217,210,1218,517,1219,1220,1221,1222,1223,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-gamble-alert","9":"tag-gambling-addiction","10":"tag-gaming-symposium","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-lagos","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-nigeria","15":"tag-oyo-state","16":"tag-regulatory-framework","17":"tag-responsible-gambling","18":"tag-safer-gambling","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114718609629308142","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}