[SPONSORED] Should Nigerian Betting Sites Do More To Protect Their Customers? -By ‘Leye Aduloju

Online sports betting in Nigeria continues to grow at a rate of knots, with the country now firmly established as one of the gambling super powers in Africa.

With the Nigerian market being very lucrative, the list of betting sites in Nigeria is growing all the time, with operators from around the world looking to cash in on the booming industry.

As a consequence of the rush, the Nigerian betting system has been somewhat overwhelmed, giving room for malpractices amongst operators desperate to establish a foothold in the market.

Gambling in Nigeria is regulated at the federal level by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), while state bodies like the Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Authority oversee the industry at the state level.

And while these organisations have done a lot to sanitise the online betting industry, there is still a long way to go before we attain acceptable standards.

Unlicensed betting sites are still littered all over the place, threatening the safety of betting customers. Online betting may be growing in Nigeria, but gambling education isn’t the best. The majority of the customers that patronise unlicensed sites are not even aware that those sites are illegal and potentially harmful to them.

The issue of underage betting also remains a big problem, even with regulated betting sites, with the betting operators seemingly incapable of preventing minors from using their sites, and the authorities apparently unable to identify and apply sanctions to erring bookmakers.

All of these are happening at a time when the safety of online betting customers has been a hot topic in the global betting landscape.

Many countries are now revisiting their gambling laws, enacting new guidelines to control how betting products are promoted and consumed.

In the United States for example, sportsbooks have been directed to be more transparent with how they promote their bonuses rather than hide important bits under vague terms and conditions.

They have also been banned from using the term “risk-free” bets. According to American authorities, there are no such things as risk-free bets because the customers would still have to risk their money in order to benefit from the promotion.

Advertising laws have become stricter, with responsible gambling messages even more prominent on sportsbooks and in advertisements.

The United Kingdom is also edging towards the American direction with the recent publication of their gambling whitepaper.

Things have been a lot quieter in Nigeria, where the laws are significantly looser than in the UK or in the US.

Yes, the authorities may be crawling at snail’s pace, but betting companies also have to take more responsibility for the well-being of their customers. They can and should definitely do more to protect their customers.

It appears most of them are only bothered about filling their pockets, without being concerned about the plight of the people supplying all the money.

The risk of gambling addiction is real, and the associated dangers are very serious, so operators must put adequate measures in place to protect their customers against addiction. Some betting sites already have features like betting limits and self-exclusion, but more should be done, and definitely, more betting companies should implement these measures.

Of course, this does not absolve the authorities from their responsibilities. Ultimately, it is the job of the NLRC and other regulatory bodies to put the proper laws into place, and punish any operator that falls foul of the law.