Oyo Gaming Board seeks collaboration with media against illegal operators

The Director-General, Oyo State Gaming and Lottery Board, Olajide Boladuro, has appealed to media houses to collaborate with the agency to checkmate what he described as undue publicity for illegal gaming operators in the state.

Boladuro made the appeal on the heels of massive radio, television and outdoor advertisements by gaming and lottery operators functioning without a license in the state.

The Director-General, who said the agency had written media owners, especially radio stations, as well as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on the need to curtail the excesses of the illegal operators, noted that the synergy became imperative in view of the need to allow licensed operators have a safer and saner business environment.

He explained that media houses (radio, television, newspapers) have the right to ask for the operating license issued by the agency to prospective advertisers before broadcasting their advertisements.

He said: “That has been one of our Achilles hills and we want to use this medium to implore various media organisations in Oyo state, especially radio and television, that they have the right to ask operators who patronise them for advertisement if they are licensed to operate in the state.

“Just like media houses are licensed to operate, so are operators who approach media houses for patronage and advertisement. They have a right to request for the operating license before taking such advertisement,” the Director-General explained.

Boladuro asserted that the agency needed more media houses to help with the enforcement by asking the operators to present the license given to them to operate in the state or call the agency to verify the operator trying to advertise with their media house.