Pastor Olakunle Jones of Miracle Church, Ilorin, has condemned the practice of underage gambling in Nigeria and called for urgent, strict measures by the government to tackle the menace.
Jones, who made the call in Ilorin on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said underage betting “was now rampant in the country”.
According to him, most betting shops are flooded with underage children without checks from the concerned authority.
“Government should pay more attention to this underage gambling trend. It is becoming worrisome seeing underaged children patronising betting centers.
“Security agents should monitor betting shops to ensure underage people are not allowed to bet the games.
“It is not good when children are exposed to such an act. It is dangerous for their future,” he said.
According to the cleric, some betting agents purposely allow the children to patronise them because they only care for the money involved.
Jones, however, advised parents to be watchdogs to their children and “not just allow them freedom to do what they like”.
The cleric also appealed to government to ensure penalties were in place for anyone caught encouraging underage gambling. (NAN)
