The idea was announced in Lagos before the Africa Gaming Expo. The main driver for this is the need to prevent underage gambling and the difficulty of enforcing this in several countries. Regulators are trying to solve a problem that individual jurisdictions cannot handle on their own, as online operators are able to target several countries and avoid local penalties.
According to Bashir Are, chief executive of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, regulators are looking to implement a so-called “African blacklist” for operators that fail to comply with gambling rules. That would give authorities a reference point when dealing with repeat offenders, instead of treating each breach as an isolated domestic incident.
Such an approach also aligns with other messages coming from African regulators. The Association of Gaming Regulators in Africa, for instance, states that it focuses on cooperation, illegal gambling, certification, player protection, and regulatory compliance. In this sense, a continent-wide blacklist might look like a reasonable next step.
Underage Gambling Is Driving the Proposal
Player protection and preventing minors from participation in betting are the immediate pressure points behind the plan. At the Lagos briefing, Are said that regulators are already monitoring compliance at physical venues, and penalties are issued when operators don’t stop underage access. In terms of online gaming, he cited funding systems that verify a player’s identity through the country’s national identification and bank verification systems.
It looks like the conversation surrounding market enforcement is changing. What gets the attention is whether regulators can actually verify ages, monitor operators, and take swift action when the issues arise. In this regard, a shared black list would add another layer of harm prevention.
Lagos Uses the Expo to Frame a Wider Regulatory Push
The Africa Gaming Expo in Lagos is set for March 24-27, 2026. The initiative is being marketed as an opportunity for regulators and the industry to discuss market development. The blacklist initiative demonstrates that issues of enforcement and consumer protection are likely to be on the agenda as much as growth prospects.
The broader context is also worth examining. LSLGA has recently stated that the African markets require better cooperation, consistency in standards, and firmer action against illegal gambling. This could mean that the actual narrative is not only the blacklist, but the emergence of a more coordinated African regulatory approach.
