Once considered a silent epidemic creeping through street corners and unregulated backroom kiosks, underage gambling in Enugu State is finally meeting its match.
At the heart of this turnaround is Governor Dr. Peter Mbah, who has declared a decisive, multi-pronged war against the menace, not just through enforcement, but with innovation, empathy, and vision.
Last Thursday, the Enugu International Conference Centre played host to a landmark stakeholders’ forum with the theme “Ending Underage Gambling in Enugu State.” It was more than an event, it was a call to arms.
Addressing the audience through Dr. Kingsley Udeh, the state’s attorney general and commissioner for Justice, Governor Mbah painted a vivid picture of the rot that underage gambling has caused, academic decline, rising petty crime, drug abuse, and lost futures.
“It is no longer a private vice,” Mbah said. “It corrodes society, fuels criminality, and destroys dreams before they are even formed.”
A New Chapter: From Chaos to Control
Since November 2024, Enugu has embraced a zero-tolerance policy, equipping the state’s Gaming and Lottery Commission with the legal and technological firepower to crack down on unlicensed gambling points.
With real-time digital surveillance, the state is not just shutting down rogue operations , it’s building a system rooted in accountability and transparency.
But enforcement is only one side of the coin. Governor Mbah made it clear: this fight is not just about shutting doors, it’s about opening better ones.
Rewriting the Future in Classrooms and Communities
In a bold shift from punishment to prevention and rehabilitation, the governor unveiled a visionary education-focused strategy.
Across the 260 Smart Green Schools in Enugu, students are now being challenged to create gamified learning tools, merging fun with financial literacy and empathy.
“School, family, and community must be louder than the gambling hall,” Mbah declared.
The state is also partnering with the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Enugu, to deploy early intervention programs. Instead of criminal charges, minors caught gambling will receive mental health support, peer mentorship, and structured alternatives.
“This is not just enforcement. It’s rescue,” the Governor emphasized.
Legislation Meets Innovation
In a move inspired by Lagos and the FCT, Enugu is gearing up to introduce real-time identity verification, using Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) and National Identity Numbers (NINs) to prevent minors from accessing betting platforms.
“This is no longer about best practices; it must become a legal mandate,” the governor asserted.
A Call for Collective Action
Beyond government action, Mbah issued a rousing call to the entire society, parents, teachers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, youth advocates, urging them to “crank up the conversation.”
“Our fight is not against games, but against the exploitation of our future. Young people must bet on education, hard work, and digital innovation, not gambling,” he said.
There’s also a long-term vision at play: a regulated gaming tourism sector that generates revenue under ethical, community-based standards, one that excludes underage participation entirely.
The Wider Front: Allies in the Fight
Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, warned that the fight must not be left to the government alone. If ignored, she said, underage gambling would “creep silently into homes, schools, and communities, eroding values and harming children psychologically and morally.”
Lloyd Ekweremadu, commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, added that the state is already taking action against operators flouting regulations, ensuring no one escapes scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Prince Arinze Arum, executive secretary of the Enugu State Gaming and Lottery Commission, revealed that a new bill is already progressing through the State House of Assembly. Once passed, it will give the commission even stronger oversight powers.
“No betting outlet is allowed within 100 to 200 meters of any school. And on no account must an underage person be found in any betting environment, doing so leads to immediate closure,” Arum stated firmly.
From technology to therapy, from classrooms to courtrooms, Enugu State is writing a new story, one where the odds are finally stacked in favour of its children.
Under Governor Mbah’s leadership, this is no longer a losing battle. It is a determined, hopeful march toward a brighter, safer future for the next generation.
