By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Director – General, Oyo State Gaming Board, Mr. Olajide Boladuro
on Thursday, disclosed that a fine of N500,000 is now awaiting any gaming operator caught in the act of engaging in underage gaming.
Mr. Boladuro who made this known
after a tour of two radio stations in Ibadan in a bid to create awareness on activities of the board, said it is determined to rehabilitate those addicted to gambling in the state.
The Director General pointed out that the fine is part of the efforts by the board to curb irresponsible gaming habits especially involving underaged, in view of the current holidays of schools across the state.
” A fine of N500,000 awaits anyone caught in the act of engaging in underage gaming. Participants who engage in gaming must first locate the approved license of the operators which they have been mandated to display at their centres. A sticker warning against underage gaming too must be displaced in every approved gaming centres”, he said
Mr Boladuro added, ” we kick against underage gaming in every form and we have encouraged operators not to allow underage in their gaming centres. We appeal to parents and guardians to play responsibly and not engage their underage children” .
Speaking further, Mr Boladuro stressed that Oyo state government is concluding arrangement with relevant specialist and experts including medial and psychological to provide rehabilitation for those in the habit of addicted to gambling in the state, saying, ” this is in a bid to curb the menace of irresponsible gaming and gambling among people in the state”.
He noted that the state government has assured all stakeholders including operators in the state that they have nothing to fear in the operations and running of their business activities in the state so long they operate according to the laws guiding their business operations in the state.
At Fresh FM, Ibadan, Mr Boladuro tasked parents to curb the habit of sending underage children to gaming centres while also advising operators not to allow underage in the centers and at Agidigbo FM, Mr Boladuro declared that the board is committed to ensuring responsible gaming and that “our operators have nothing to fear while operating and running in Oyo state”.
” We want to assure operators of gaming and lottery in the state that so long they operate according to the laws of Oyo state guiding their operation, they have nothing to fear.
They must have all the requirements and all that is expected for them to operate. We are here not only to regulate their activities but to also protect both the operators and players.
“Operators can access our website for all requirements or contact our state office at Agodi Secretariat for enquiries on any area that needs clarity. We recently won the national award as the most interactive site and we can assure you that their needs can be meet there.”
He stressed, ” we also want to inform participants that they can lodge their complain of any sharp practice by any operators and I can assure you that their winnings would be collected for them. But, participants must also ensure they patronise licenced operators by the state government so as to make it easier for their claims to be traced and recover for them. We will also appeal to media houses to help us in the fight against illegal and irresponsible gaming by sensoring commercial, jingles, advertorials or any other forms of publicity by these unlicensed operators.”
“We are already speaking with relevant stakeholders such as psychologist, medical experts, researchers in some educational institutions in the state to facilitate rehabilitation of addicted gamblers. We are putting machinery in place to identify some of these addicts see how we an help them overcome it. This is because we have always preached responsible gaming and we want to reduce the menace of addiction to gambling because we know the implications on those that are addicted”.
