If the 2nd Enugu Gaming Conference 2025 taught us anything, it’s that Nigeria’s gaming future will be shaped as much by law as by luck.
Under the theme “From Unification to Diversification: Shaping Nigeria’s Gaming Future,” one debate bubbled to the surface: how can individual states regulate an industry that exists everywhere and nowhere at once, especially when it’s online and offshore?
On paper, state gaming commissions are empowered to oversee all gaming activities within their borders.
In practice, however, that jurisdiction is about as useful as a fishing net with very large holes when it comes to digital platforms.
You can monitor a physical betting shop in Enugu or a lottery kiosk in Kano, but how do you regulate an online sportsbook operating out of Malta, streaming odds to Nigerian smartphones, and accepting payments via global fintech platforms?
The Challenge of Invisible Borders
The core problem is that gaming regulation in Nigeria has been designed with geography in mind, but the internet doesn’t do geography.
An operator based in Gibraltar can legally reach Nigerian customers without opening a single local office, renting shop space, or registering with a state commission. That means states lose revenue, lose control over responsible gaming measures, and lose the ability to enforce consumer protection standards.
Add to that the proliferation of crypto-based gaming platforms that bypass traditional banking channels, and you have a regulatory nightmare, one where the operators are virtually invisible, the transactions are borderless, and the consumers are often unaware they are playing outside any enforceable legal framework.
Enter the NCC: The Gatekeeper That Isn’t Guarding
If there’s a body with the reach to at least partially address this challenge, it’s the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This is the agency that licenses internet service providers, monitors telecommunications infrastructure, and can block access to non-compliant platforms.
In theory, the NCC could work closely with all state gaming regulators to identify illegal or unlicensed platforms targeting Nigerians and block them at the ISP level, much like some countries block pirate movie sites or fraudulent banking portals.
This would make it significantly harder for rogue operators to access the Nigerian market without compliance.
In reality, however, NCC’s current involvement in gaming regulation is minimal, if not entirely absent.
This isn’t because they don’t care; it’s because there’s no strong legal or policy framework mandating such collaboration. The NCC is in the telecoms business; gaming is someone else’s problem.
The Case for Multi-Layered Regulation
If Nigeria is serious about addressing this, three things need to happen:
1. Inter-Agency Agreements: The NCC, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and each state regulator should enter into formal protocols to share intelligence and enforce joint actions.
If an online gaming operator is not licensed locally, they shouldn’t be able to advertise, process payments, or operate unmonitored in Nigeria.
2. Technology-Based Monitoring: States need to invest in or subscribe to global gaming monitoring software. These platforms can track online betting traffic, identify unlicensed domains targeting Nigerian IP addresses, and flag suspicious activity.
3. Consumer Education: Nigerians are increasingly tech-savvy, but not always regulation-savvy. Public awareness campaigns should educate consumers on the risks of using offshore gaming platforms, including the lack of payout guarantees and recourse mechanisms.
The Reality Check
Even with these measures, no one should pretend that perfect enforcement is possible. Offshore operators will always be a step ahead in technology, and the lure of tax-free profits will keep them coming. But reducing the size of the loopholes is still worth the effort.
The truth is, regulation in the digital era is not about building higher fences, it’s about building smarter networks. State regulators, left alone, will always be overmatched in this fight.
But in a coordinated ecosystem, where NCC acts as the gatekeeper, CBN controls the payment pipelines, and states enforce licensing, the odds of success improve dramatically.
Because if there’s one thing the gaming industry teaches us, it’s that you can’t win every bet… but you can still play to increase your chances.
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*‘Gaming Grid’ is your weekly pulse on Nigeria’s gaming industry, its trends, and its trailblazers. Stay plugged in on TechEconomy.ng as we unpack the opportunities beyond the odds.
