Fisayo Oke on Building a Culture of Responsible Gaming in Nigeria
In Nigeria’s rapidly growing gaming ecosystem, few voices have been as consistent and influential in championing responsible gaming as Fisayo Oke, CEO of Gamble Alert. Through advocacy, research, and treatment, Oke and his team have become a central force ensuring that player protection and awareness, remains at the forefront of the industry’s growth narrative.
Speaking with iGaming AFRIKA during the recent Enugu Gaming Conference 2025 organized by the Enugu State Gaming Commission, Fisayo highlighted both the progress and the challenges faced in building a culture of responsible gaming within the sector. “It’s been a whole lot of work,” he admitted. “Doing advocacy, research, and treatment all at once has been a huge task. But the biggest challenge is getting industry buy-in. So much can be done, but without the gaming industry’s active participation, the impact remains limited.”
Fisayo acknowledged that progress is happening particularly among regulators and operators who are beginning to take bold steps towards integrating responsible gaming frameworks into their operations. However, he was quick to emphasize the need for smarter regulation that aligns economic incentives with compliance.
“As a gaming company, if evading compliance costs less than adhering to it, the system creates a disincentive for doing the right thing,” he explained. “For instance, if the penalty for allowing an underage player on your platform is only ₦200, then it’s cheaper to break the rule than to comply. Regulators should make compliance economically sensible. When it costs less to do the right thing, compliance becomes natural.”
Read Also: Remote Gaming License Will Destroy Nigeria’s Indigenous Gaming Industry and over 200, 000 Jobs
This economic insight cuts to the heart of a major policy dilemma in emerging markets: how to balance regulation with growth. Fisayo’s call for incentivizing compliance underscores the importance of designing regulatory frameworks.
Gamble Alert’s nationwide reach has been achieved through strong collaboration with regulators and gaming operators. Recognizing that it would be impossible to cover every region independently, the organization adopted a partnership-driven model that allows its responsible gaming services to be integrated directly into operators’ platforms. Today, Gamble Alert’s presence extends across multiple states from Kano and Oyo to Enugu ensuring that players anywhere in the country can easily access support and resources promoting responsible gaming.
