Six gaming centres were reportedly shut on Friday by the Oyo State Gaming Board for admitting underage betters and students in uniforms during school period.
The state government had declared it illegal for children under 18 years to participate in gaming, warning that any gaming centre without proper registration would be sealed.
The Director-General, Oyo State Gaming Board, Olajide Boladuro, during an enforcement exercise stressed the need for gaming centres in the state to cooperate with the state government through compliance and remittance of dues to appropriate quarters.
Boladuro said most of the centres were served with warning letters to desist from allowing underage players to gaming.
He said, ‘’Most of the operators are aware that the state government frowned on underage gaming but despite having being warned, they still persisted.
“Some of these children go to the centres with their school uniforms when they should be in school learning while some have turned those places to a hideout instead of going to school or at home to help their parents.
‘’We have many illegal gaming center operators that are yet to register with the Board and thereby operating without license. There are some that refused to pay up their levies and dues.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
