Clarion Gaming has named Nigeria-headquartered GamblePause as its Safer Gambling Charity Partner, marking a significant continental milestone. The partnership covers world-leading industry events ICE Barcelona, iGB Affiliate Barcelona, and iGB L!VE London. It positions an African-led social impact organisation on one of gambling’s most influential global platforms.
An organisation shaped by lived experience
GamblePause is an independent social impact organisation dedicated to reducing gambling-related harm in Africa. Its work spans prevention, education, early intervention, and rehabilitation support for affected individuals, families, and communities.
Founder Ladipo Abiose Akolade says the organisation was born from a deeply personal experience. “I launched GamblePause, having personally experienced gambling-related harm for nine years. Our mission is to promote safer gambling behaviours, raise awareness of gambling-related harm, and provide accessible education, counselling, and rehabilitation pathways, particularly for vulnerable populations.
We aim to ensure individuals make informed choices while influencing industry practice and public policy toward responsible gambling standards.”
“We also collaborate with partners in the USA, Canada, and the UK, who volunteer and provide training for our team to deliver standardised recovery services to clients. Our focus is on African countries experiencing rapid growth in online and youth gambling, and the services span community outreach, digital education platforms, rehabilitation referrals, research collaboration, and forging international partnerships.
We are proud to be the first organisation in Africa to offer free gambling rehabilitation support, removing financial barriers to care and ensuring that help is accessible to those who need it most,” he added.
From grassroots campaign to regional voice
Despite being relatively young, the GamblePause Initiative has managed to gain momentum in terms of its data-informed engagement with the relevant communities. The organisation has evolved rapidly from awareness campaigning into frontline service delivery and policy advocacy.
“We have evolved from a grassroots awareness initiative into an emerging regional voice on safer gambling in Africa.
In the last 12 months, milestones include reaching 5,500+ individuals through community awareness sessions, workshops, and digital campaigns, conducting 3,300+ one-to-one support interactions using our virtual psychological counselling and early-intervention services, reaching over 1,500 secondary school students, courtesy of awareness and debate competitions, and undertaking 45 physical community group engagements a month.”
Abiose added that, “We have also delivered large-scale gambling awareness programmes at the University of Lagos, reaching 11,000 students in April 2025 and a further 12,500 in December 2025. These sessions focused on gambling risk awareness and early warning signs, gambling harm prevention strategies, and access to counselling, support, and rehabilitation pathways.”
Global validation through Clarion Gaming
Clarion Gaming’s recognition of the charity as the Safer Gambling Charity Partner is a recognition of the African contribution towards the reduction of the problem of gambling in the international community.
“Make no mistake, being named Clarion Gaming’s Safer Gambling Charity Partner is a historic milestone for everyone involved with GamblePause, as well as serving as a powerful validation of our work. The partnership provides a global platform to amplify safer gambling messaging across Africa, and it strengthens our credibility. It enables direct engagement with industry leaders to advance responsible and sustainable gambling practices.
It’s huge for GamblePause, and we can’t wait to launch the partnership in Barcelona!”
Scaling impact across Africa
The organisation intends to use the partnership to accelerate reach, influence, and measurable impact. Its focus remains firmly on prevention, early intervention, and protection of vulnerable populations.
Ladipo Abiose shared, “As a consequence of this partnership, we will be able to scale gambling-harm awareness campaigns across Africa, expand rehabilitation pathways, deliver evidence-informed safer gambling education for operators, regulators, and communities across Africa and internationally, engage policymakers and industry leaders to strengthen player-protection and harm-prevention policies across Africa, and promote practical, preventative solutions that safeguard vulnerable groups. A steadfast commitment to early intervention among young people underpins all of this work.”
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