Nigeria’s underage gambling problem
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 796 Ratings
🗓️ 21 July 2025
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A boom in betting - both online and in shops - is fuelling addiction and debt among young people.
We speak to teenage gamblers, whistle-blowers, and campaigners who reveal how social media influencers and lack of regulation are driving a growing crisis in Nigeria.
If you are affected by harmful gambling or are suffering distress or despair you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available for despair in some countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide (www.befrienders.org)
Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay
(Image: A close-up of a man's hands holding a mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service. I'm Frey Lindsay. Today it's the second in our two-part series looking at the increase in gambling and gambling addiction around Africa. Today we head to Nigeria to hear how young people in particular are getting trapped in cycles of addiction and debt. I was seeing people making millions. |
| 0:23.9 | That was when everything was downloading in my head. |
| 0:28.9 | We'll also hear how a network of online influences is pulling more people into Gabler and how the spread of physical betting shops is pushing more people to extremes. |
| 0:33.4 | We have tried stopping people, some of those people like that, but it's a problem stopping them. |
| 0:39.7 | That's all coming up. |
| 0:44.8 | I started gambling when I was, I think, 15, my early 15. |
| 0:51.3 | They don't have any verification process. |
| 0:53.9 | They just ask if you are 18. Once you press |
| 0:55.9 | yes, you're fine to go. You have created accounts successfully. This is Isaac. He lives in Nigeria. |
| 1:02.4 | Now, I'm not going to say his last name because he's 17. Before we go any further, this program is |
| 1:07.8 | about what's known as gambling disorder, also known as problem gambling or gambling addiction. |
| 1:13.0 | If you're affected by harmful gambling or are suffering distress or despair, you could speak to a health |
| 1:17.9 | professional or an organization that offers support. Details of help available for despair in some |
| 1:23.2 | countries can be found at befrienders worldwide. That's www.bfrienders.org. There are also some upsetting |
| 1:30.7 | subjects in this program, including references to violence, self-harm and suicidal intent. |
| 1:36.5 | Let's get back to Isaac and his struggle. Before my parents gave birth to me, like, they were married |
| 1:43.5 | for like 12 years before they gave birth to me. they were married for like 12 years before they gave |
| 1:46.2 | bed to me so I'm the only son I'm trying to make them proud but so I decided to go |
| 1:52.1 | into gambling thinking that it would be easy I have that feeling that I'm gonna be |
| 1:57.3 | reach through betting because my first month went well. |
| 2:02.2 | One thing about betting, when you are playing, your mindset goes to winning. |
| 2:06.1 | You understand? |
... |
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