At the 2025 Enugu Gaming Conference, held at the International Conference Centre, the Governor’s address, Dr Peter Mbah, delivered by the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr Nathaniel Urama, noted the state’s strategic pivot towards gaming as a tool for economic growth.

“This administration is working to reclaim Enugu not only as a government of substance but as an investment hub within Africa,” the Governor said in his welcome address.

Themed “From Unification to Diversification: Shaping Nigeria’s Gaming Future,” the conference brought together stakeholders, tech innovators, regulators, and investors from across the continent.

According to the Governor, “We are living in a time where the future of gaming will be determined by how well we harmonise innovation, regulation, expansion, responsibility and investment.”

Enugu’s leadership is backing words with action, and over the past year, the state has rolled out a range of initiatives that go beyond token regulation.

At the heart of these measures is an automated licensing and operator registration portal, a secure digital platform that allows real-time tracking and evaluation of gaming operators.

“This innovation drastically reduces manual interference, minimises the risk of fraud, and ensures compliance with our gaming norms,” the Governor stated.

Equally important is the deployment of a Central Monitoring System (CMS) for virtual and retail gaming activities. This system allows the state to monitor gaming transactions in real time, aiming to improve transparency in revenue declarations and tax compliance; an area notoriously murky in the Nigerian gaming sector.

But the state’s vision is not limited to digital as Enugu is also taking a firm stance on ethics.

“In Enugu State, our administration fully recognises the growing influence of the gaming and lottery industry as a driver of job creation, digital innovation…

“But even more importantly, we understand the need for a regulatory environment that is transparent, secure and investment-friendly, one that supports legitimate operators while protecting the interests of players and the broader society.”

In a particularly interesting move, the government recently launched a public awareness campaign to tackle underage gambling, aligning its digital reforms with a human-centred policy approach.

“This initiative speaks directly to our commitment to social responsibility and public welfare, ensuring that the economic benefits of gaming do not come at the cost of the next generation,” the Governor said.

To better achieve its goals, the state plans to deploy a GPS-based operator mapping and audit system. This tool will allow the commission to geo-locate all gaming outlets in the state and analyse operator data to detect illegal operations and enforce compliance in a smarter way.

“These initiatives are not isolated, as they are aligned with our broader agenda of digitally driven governance, ease of doing business, and a modernised economy where transparency, accountability and efficiency are the norm,” the address stated.

While many Nigerian states are wrestling with the implications of the Supreme Court ruling that granted them power to regulate gaming activities within their jurisdictions, Enugu is already racing ahead, readying itself with digital infrastructure, legislative tools, and a public service mindset.

“Enugu State is open for business, and we are building a regulatory framework that invites innovation while preserving integrity,” the Governor said.

Held at the International Conference Centre, the Conference revealed Enugu State’s full-scale launch into regulatory revolution to bolster the gaming sector, while being at the fore.

The State has its focus on digital infrastructure, ethical clarity, and inter-agency collaborations, not waiting for federal alignment, but building its own to thrive without limitations.

The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) delivered a keynote, warning that Nigeria’s decentralised regulatory space would collapse without shared standards for privacy, security, and accountability.

“Effective data is the backbone of engagement and revenue. With this rise in interdependency comes heightened risk of violent intent, financial fraud, unauthorised profiling and child exploitation,” Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner/CEO, NDPC, represented by Alexander Onwe, officer at the Commission.

The NDPC offered capacity-building partnerships and proposed a sector-specific compliance framework for the gaming industry. It also urged the Governor of Enugu to formalise collaboration with the Commission under President Tinubu’s National Digital Economy Policy.

“If we want a future where the Nigerian gaming industry thrives globally, we must build it on privacy, compliance and regulatory unity. In this digital age, trust is the new currency.”

Also speaking at the conference, Executive Secretary of the Enugu Gaming and Lotto Commission, Prince Arinze Arum, said, “We must be honest with ourselves. The Nigerian gaming industry is at a critical juncture. The conversations are no longer just about enforcement. They are now about jurisdiction, innovation, technology, cross-border collaborations and, most important, structure.”

Arum emphasised that centralised control had failed, and that state-level innovation and regulation must rise to meet current complexities. He highlighted that over half of Nigerian states don’t even have a gaming commission, allowing for extortionate practices under the guise of enforcement.

“Effective regulation is not just a legal mandate. It is an enabler of innovation, investment and public trust.”

Industry Speaks: Too Many Laws, Not Enough Clarity

At breakout sessions and panels, operators, developers, and legal experts stress that:

• Multiple licensing requirements across states are crippling operational efficiency.
• Some regulators are unaware of current CAC document standards or outdated EFCC compliance practices.
• In Imo State, gaming companies were fined ₦110 million by the environmental agency over “gaseous emissions”, a charge totally unrelated to their line of business.
• There’s still rampant illegal betting, worsened by lack of coordination and weak digital oversight.

Industry experts called for:

• A central compliance portal for gaming firms to submit documents to EFCC, NDPC, FIRS, etc.
• Pre-warning systems for regulatory breaches instead of first-strike penalties.
• A unified API and CMS standard for state monitoring systems to reduce tech duplication and regulatory fragmentation.

Responsible Gaming and Social Protection

A dedicated panel on responsible gaming noted how much more Nigeria needs to do. Stakeholders stressed that public education, addiction services, and data-driven self-exclusion systems were all lacking.

Prince Arum revealed that a Responsible Gaming Law was recently passed by the State House of Assembly and would soon be implemented. However, he warned:

“Responsible gaming must not be seen as a new avenue to tax the industry. It should be about clear objectives and genuine player protection.”

Experts also called for:

• Use of AI to monitor harmful player patterns;
• State-funded campaigns similar to the UK’s GambleAware;
• Creation of a national exclusion registry shared across operators and states.

What’s Next: A Five-Year View

Looking at what’s next, industry leaders identified that the sector can’t thrive without economic stability.

“If disposable income continues to fall, gaming will be seen less as entertainment and more as survival—which erodes trust and damages perception.”

The sector is hopeful that a centralised multi-state licensing regime, led by the Federation of State Gaming Regulators, will be fully operational within a year.

In closing, Arum said: “The future of Nigeria’s gaming landscape will not be built by passive observers. It will be shaped by those in this room, those who recognise that compliance and innovation are not in conflict.”