Published 9th Sep, 2024

By Timileyin Akinmoyeje

Despite the vagueness of consumer protection legislation in the Nigerian gambling industry, the law is direct about age requirements. The National Lottery Act (as amended in 2017) bars gambling operators from offering their services to anyone under the age of 18. But in Ile-Oluji, a community just fifty kilometres from the Ondo State capital, underage boys make up the majority of the clientele at licensed betting shops. FIJ’s Timileyin Akinmoyeje visits this community to uncover why these betting centres break the law and why boys are being exposed to this potentially damaging vice.

Ojise Akindoyeni does not remember how and when he became a compulsive gambler. But he remembers how Bèbí — the colloquial term for high-risk-high-reward virtual games — had piqued his interest during his apprenticeship days at Oja-Oba in Ile-Oluji. His trainer would write him gaming codes to deliver to an agent at the Bet9ja shop situated just after the major roundabout in the town. At that time, he was just 15 and fresh out of secondary school.

He also remembers how his uncle, a rather conservative Baba Ijebu customer, had encouraged him to have a vice and had, rather absent-mindedly, shown him the ropes of ‘adult’ gambling in Osun State. By that time, he was only a few months away from 18, barely legal according to Nigerian law.

However, there are gambling-related incidents that Akindoyeni will never forget. One time, Akindoyeni got locked up by the police in Ogun State for spending the N150,000 meant to stock up his bosses’ appliance store. On another occasion, he missed one of the few chances he had to attend a university because he spent money he had set aside for his school fees trying to hit it big.

Akindoyeni, who is about 24 years old, is clean now. Or so he says. He even sprouts rather intense profundities about life and gambling. But despite the optimistic outlook, Akindoyeni told this reporter that the fear of relapsing consistently gnaws at his sanity.

One other thing also seems to bug him endlessly: in his immediate community, several underage kids are travelling the same path he once did. Not just that, the children enjoy the consent of a parent, the help of a sibling and the negligence of a business person.

UNDERAGE GAMBLING IS PREVALENT IN NIGERIA BUT REGULATORS APPEAR LAX

Akindoyeni is not the first to consider teenage gambling a societal threat. In reality, it is a major global issue. Nations and even continents have designated teenage gambling as a pandemic, documented its impact and drawn out stricter regulations to protect minors and teenagers from its downsides. Reacting to underage gambling in 2018 for instance, the Belgian government banned the broadcast of gambling adverts 15 minutes before and after children’s shows.

Similarly, the Netherlands banned gambling adverts entirely in public spaces to protect children from being bombarded with them. Other European countries have also introduced similar policies with varying levels of restriction at one time or the other in the last decade.

Teenage gambling in Nigeria is also worrisome. But it appears only serious enough to make several headlines rather than inform significant policy adjustment or regulatory intervention. A major pointer to this nonchalance is the absence of any significant data or underage gambling by the relevant regulatory agencies.

Nigeria’s biggest attempt at curbing underage gambling came through the revised National Health Adolescence Policy in 2019. The policy brief states that by 2024, Nigeria would revise the 2005 National Lottery Act to protect minors and vulnerable citizens from the harms of gambling. But it has been about seven months into 2024, and the act has not been adjusted since the last amendment in 2017.

For context, in Ondo, gambling regulation is primarily viewed through the lens of revenue collection. The state’s gaming regulatory body, the Pools Betting and Lotteries Board, operates under the Ministry of Finance and is nearly impossible to contact directly.

Additionally, the national body responsible for gambling oversight, the NLRC, has yet to respond to an email FIJ sent to it as early as August 30, detailing specific instances of underage gambling and the regulatory gaps that are being exploited.

Despite the offhandedness of the regulators and the consequent paucity of data, some independent researchers have attempted to describe the extent of the issue in figures. In 2018, a group of researchers in Imo State published a paper that reported the rate of gambling among teenagers to be about 79% within a 12-month period. About 60% of the teenagers they surveyed had a gambling-related problem.

Another set of medical scientists conducted a fairly similar research in Enugu secondary schools in 2021. About 73% of the gambling population that responded were between 15 and 18 years old. 36% of the young boys also confessed to suffering severe gambling-related problems.

In Cross River State, 57% of the gamblers identified by researchers in the state were between the ages of 12 and 14. Interestingly, children below 11 made up the second largest sub-demographic in the state, with a 28% participation.

Underage gambling in Nigeria is likely to continue. Statista, a global business intelligence company, predicts that online gambling alone will grow by 6.09%, especially with increasing digital penetration in Nigeria. The World Bank also projected that more Nigerians may become involved in the coming years. If money remains the main reason teenagers gamble, as TGM Research found in 2022, more teenagers may indulge in gambling.

IN ILE-OLUJI, THE LAXITY EXTENDS TO BET SHOP AGENTS

That Wednesday evening in March, the Bet9ja shop on Olota Street in Ile-Oluji did not enjoy its usual raucousness, as if in deference to the ongoing fasting of the Islamic faithful. The environment had relatively less human traffic compared to the typically boisterous football fans and hardcore gamers who would argue endlessly into the night. Also, there were no serious football matches aired that day, both on the league front and the tournament front.

Inside the betting shop was a group of men in a fairly heated argument over some street affair. Omotosho, a boy clearly in his teenage years, was also seated inside sharing a bench with a rather loud customer and clutching what remained of a torn bet ticket. He had just lost a gamble after contributing a token to the stake of one of the older customers, a public transport worker. Since he didn’t walk up to the counter to place the bet himself, the bet agents didn’t seem to care about whether he was qualified to gamble or not. Omotosho is 16 years old and fresh out of secondary school.

Omotosho, right before FIJ spoke with him about his recent bet.

The conversation with Omotosho did not reveal much about why he gambled or how long he had gambled for. But it was clear that it was not his first rodeo and that he had a group of older friends who could gamble on his behalf when the agents decided to be strict with the age limits.

Omotosho told Akindoyeni, who had engaged him about gambling age limits, that it was not a problem. Omotosho said he had multiple options to explore if the age limits were ever enforced at that betting shop. He said he could always use the help of any of his older friends or the egbons who made up the clientele of the shop. As a last resort, he said he could use the betting shop at Odolua or Oke-Alaafia because no one would stop him from betting for being a teenager there.

“Age?” Omotosho said, almost snorting out a laugh. “That has never been a problem. The people here only frown at actual kids. You know, those ones that look like they are in junior secondary school. I didn’t walk up to the counter to stake my game because my mother was somewhere around and she may be watching. If I ever need to play. I can go to Oke-Alaafia or Odolua. Any other game house far away from my mother’s shop to play.”

The scenery at the next betting hotspot, the BetKing shop in Odolua, did not differ much from the first. But in this case, there was the occasional human traffic congestion, mostly male public transport workers, trooping in to take breaks, play virtual reality games and watch the match replay showing on the televisions inside the shop.

Design Underage kids monitoring matches and bets at Bet King by FIJ

Most conspicuously, however, were the young boys, mostly around 14 years old, who sold snacks on the streets. They made up a considerable part of the unstable traffic in the betting shop. Some of the boys, like the older clientele, hide from the sun and enjoy the shade of the shop. Others pranced around the front of the agent’s counter with tickets in their hands and the last group of boys stared at the televisions on the wall with frenzied focus. These were displaying matches and tables for virtual leagues. Unlike the first betting shop, the BetKing Lotto agent did not pay any serious attention to the age group of the shop’s clientele.

“As long as you’re tall enough to see the counter and stake,” one agent responded almost absent-mindedly when Akindoyeni, who had been acting as a fixer, asked in a mildly jovial tone. About one hour of observing the clientele revealed that young boys, mostly between their middle and late teens, frequented the betting shop without restriction. No one budged. Not one person bugged them. No one stopped them.

The last betting hotspot Akindoyeni and I visited was just off Surulere Street, near the town centre. It was another Bet9ja shop. It was mostly empty except for the agent, who lay bare-chested on a bench, a barely teenage child resting after hours of hawking plantain chips, and a teenage boy who looked about 18 years old.

The conversation with the older teenager revealed little, except that age didn’t matter as long as a betting client was physical enough. He would not disclose his age and didn’t try to place any bets. According to him, he had no urge to stake with the few bets available and not many people around.

“The only time you get chased off here is if you look really little. Like that boy there. You can watch others stake and give older people your money but I and my friends are adult (sic) enough. We are in Senior Secondary School and no one would expressly ask for your age in this place,” the lone teenage customer explained.

KYC SYSTEMS ARE WEAK ON SOME BETTING APPLICATIONS AND TEENAGERS TAKE ADVANTAGE

Touring the town of Ile-Oluji on March 28 revealed a noticeable shift; betting shops were fading out, and gambling had fully gone digital. Physical shops were losing their appeal and teenagers placed bets on their phones instead.

Given this shift, one might expect betting companies to enforce biometric verification — a common Know Your Customer (KYC) process — just as banks do. However, interactions with teenage gamblers painted a different picture. Underage bettors have found loopholes in the lax verification processes of these betting service providers.

Teenagers told FIJ that apps such as SportyBet and 1xBet were easily accessible with just a few tricks, no matter their age.

“I have Sporty on my phone. SportyBet asked me my age. Sometimes it won’t. Sporty is what we use mostly. You see people that use Bet9ja, those are above 18 years old. But SportyBet and 1xBet are for under 18 guys,” said Ominira Joshua, a 14-year-old in his penultimate year at Perexcellence Secondary School, Ile-Oluji.

Michael Olaoye, 15, from Baptist Secondary School, prefers 1xBet because it “doesn’t seem to care about age”. Bet9ja, however, is stricter on verification.

“I have a 1xBet account. SportyBet asked me for my age, not 1xBet. Bet9ja is impossible to use because you cannot do anything without your age. I have won about N4,000 on 1xBet. I lose a lot when I use Sporty. I would have lost up to N6,000,” Olaoye shared.

Taking a cue from these underage gamblers, FIJ decided to test the waters with these platforms.

Design 1X Bet Registration Process by FIJ

1xBet’s approach to age verification is far from robust. Apart from a simple box-tick exercise during registration where users confirm their age, the app occasionally flashes a message indicating that only users above 18 can place bets.

The service also has a responsible gaming policy where it mouths strict adherence to the age limits. But the same policy contains a clause that effectively absolves the company of age verification responsibility:

“Our customers should understand that they are guarantors of their legal registration on 1xBet.com,” it states.

Excerpts from the Responsible Gambling page of 1XBet

As the screenshot above shows, it’s entirely possible to register, fund, place bets and even withdraw winnings without any rigorous KYC or age verification on 1xBet. FIJ also couldn’t verify if the website’s supposed ongoing age checks are real. A test account was opened on August 11, and as of this report, no requests for age verification had been made.

SportyBet has a similar verification issue. Although it claims to require a National ID for proof of age, the registration process doesn’t ask for it. Beyond ticking a box confirming the user is over 18, and inputting a date of birth, no serious KYC process takes place. In essence, it’s easy to register, lie about your age, gamble and withdraw funds without ever facing a proper age check on SportyBet.

Sporty Bet Registration Process by FIJ

PARENTS, SIBLINGS AND EGBON-ADUGBOS MAY BE COMPLICIT

Beyond the laxity of the companies and the regulators, teenage gambling in the community enjoys some sort of communal and familial complicity. Teenagers like Amos Bajewolu and Ganiyu Quadril, for instance, openly gamble with the knowledge and sometimes the passive consent of their parents, older siblings and older peers.

This familial acceptance removes a significant barrier for underage gamblers and allows them to participate without fear of reprimand. Quadril’s mother is aware of his gambling habit but doesn’t interfere. He told FIJ that he even opened betting apps right in her presence.

Interview with Teenage Boy who Actively Gambles by Timileyin Akinmoyeje

Even when they avoid gambling close to home, it’s more a matter of discretion than fear of reprimand. Quadril admitted that he sometimes steers clear of certain shops to keep a low profile from his mother on days when he does not want to reveal that he has money. And even when he ventures farther from his neighbourhood, the betting houses remain welcoming.

“I use the money they give me at home. My mummy knows because I opened the [betting] applications in front of her. And on days when I don’t want to reveal how much pocket money I have, I play far away from home,” Quadril explained.

Bajewolu, another teenage gambler, finds similar acceptance within his family. His gambling habit is more rooted. He says he could stake as high as N6,000 at bet shops in Oke-Alaafia. His big win in December 2023 — N26,500 — was a highlight and losses up to N5,000 have not stopped him from returning.

Interview with 15 year old gambler by Timileyin Akinmoyeje

Both boys are also quick to point out that, if necessary, they can rely on the help of older friends or the egbons who frequent these shops. This network of older peers becomes their backup plan. These boys suggested age verification was merely a formality that could be ignored as long as the customer didn’t look too young.

“I go to the betting shop at Oke-Alaafia. They know me there.I have friends that go there a lot. They don’t send me back for age-related issues. Also, you can find a sense of brotherhood in the shops. On days when you cannot afford to stake, some boys and egbons will help you with something”, Bajewolu shared.

“If I ever need to play, I can go to Oke-Alaafia or Odolua. No one will stop me from betting for being a teenager,” Quadril said with a laugh. “The people here only frown at actual kids. Those ones that look like they are in junior secondary.”

WE CAN’T TELL THEM APART SOMETIMES

On March 29, FIJ paid a final visit to the local betting shops to gauge just how much underage gambling was tolerated — whether intentionally overlooked or passively allowed by operators. Yet, most operators were either too busy to talk or outright hostile, save for the Bet9ja shop in the smaller town called Bamikemo.

In Bamikemo, a small sub-community within Ile-Oluji, there is only one betting shop that draws any regular crowd. With a tip-off from Bukola Adepoju, a local civil servant, FIJ visited the shop that Friday.

Despite its modest size and basic setup, signs stating the legal gambling age were plastered all over the walls. Sesan Alimi, the operator on duty, stood firm on his shop’s commitment to enforcing the age limit.

Alimi's Modest Bet Shop — Alimi’s Modest Bet Shop

Warning Sign at Alimi's Bet Shop — Warning Sign at Alimi’s Bet Shop

For added assurance, he mentioned the frequent police patrols in the area, especially when the shop gets crowded, to weed out teenage gamblers who may slip through the cracks.

Still, Alimi admitted that it’s not always easy to tell who’s underage, particularly those in their late teens such as 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds.

“As a rule of thumb, I don’t let anyone in school uniforms near this place. We have police officers patrolling, and I don’t want any trouble. Sometimes, these kids are 16 or 17, but they don’t look any different from those who are 18 or 19. And right now, we don’t even have many customers because of the fasting,” Alimi told FIJ.

FIJ reached out to the betting companies involved — Bet9ja, BetKing, 1xBet, and SportyBet — on Wednesday with detailed inquiries. However, like the regulator, none had responded at press time.

This report was produced with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

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