What RG challenges has the retail-to-online casino conversion brought the Nigerian market in recent years?

I think this is a very important part of the responsible gaming (RG) conversation to have, especially currently, as a growing number of people are beginning to take RG more seriously across the continent. It goes without saying that the shift from retail betting to online casino and online gaming more broadly has fundamentally changed what RG looks like. Previously, the fact that people had to visit retail shops to place their bets meant a different approach to RG was needed. But now that accessibility is easier than ever, people have games in their hands 24 hours a day, and there are no longer any of the natural barriers that used to exist with retail locations. This means people can spend far more time gambling, with longer sessions on their phones at a higher betting frequency. With that longer engagement and increased frequency comes more impulsive decision-making, simply because there is nothing stopping players from continuing. 

Another point worth mentioning is speed. Many online games now come with an unprecedented pace – instant games, live casino and rapid betting cycles. The ease with which people can adjust their stakes at any moment leaves vulnerable individuals without any real safeguard, because they can keep playing even when results are not going their way. If operators fail to put safeguards in place, vulnerable players will simply sink deeper into gambling-related harm. We’ve also noticed that, although online access has increased significantly, awareness of safer gambling tools hasn’t kept pace. Some operators, now serving larger online customer bases, have introduced tools such as deposit limits, self-exclusion, cool-off periods and reality checks. Unfortunately, not enough awareness has been built around these tools to ensure they’re actually used. While technology has evolved rapidly, customer education simply hasn’t kept up.