The Oyo State government has advanced the need for diversity and inclusion of people, irrespective of their sexuality, disability, gender, class, age or race, in gaming and lottery.
The state government said the call became imperative owing to palpable discriminatory, exclusionary practices in the gaming and lottery sector.
Secretary to the state government, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun made this call at the 2022 stakeholders’ interactive forum of the Oyo State Gaming Board held in Ibadan, at the weekend.
Speaking, she noted that discrimination and lack of a level-playing field continued to expand inequality gaps thereby consistently denying some people access to participate in gaming and lottery, as they desire.
She stressed the need for businesses to embrace the tenets of inclusiveness and diversity in their businesses, with its attendant benefits of value addition and competitive edge in existing and emerging markets.
Adeosun said: “We must create a welcoming environment and ensure that gamers do not feel excluded while combating discriminatory or exclusionary gaming practices. Very often, conversations about diversity and inclusion are dismissed as political correctness or preferential treatment.
“It is illegal to discriminate against anyone based on their sex, race and age. Diversity and inclusion in the gaming and lottery sector are critical as it pertains to the gamer’s age, class, sex, gender and so on. Also, diversity in terms of age, gender, disability, sexuality, and socioeconomic background.
“The lack of diversity we can see in this sector is due to active or passive prejudice but there are also barriers to employment of certain groups which is because there hasn’t been a level-playing ground in the past.
“We are aware that it is not enough to create a level-playing field but people who are different should have the same opportunities and activities that are accessible to all others.
“There is a need to understand the inequality gaps and take the necessary steps to address existing disadvantages affecting how people participate in the workforce, in the gaming sector, especially.
“Businesses should utilise those differences to create an effective workforce.
“Organisations that prioritise diversity and inclusion gain a higher market share and have a competitive edge in accessing new markets and those who do not embrace diversity get left behind because they are not equipped to face emerging challenges and opportunities.”
In his remarks, Director-General, Oyo Gaming Board, Mr Jide Boladuro avowed that the state government is keen on creating an all-inclusive gaming environment as well as a sane business environment.
He added that regularization and digitization of gaming agents and operators are ongoing, while the board had reduced underage gaming and increased stakeholders’ buy-in in living up to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The event saw gaming stakeholders exposed to a new analytical portal for gaming where each gaming actor has its own portal for appropriate monitoring.
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