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GamblePause named as Clarion Gaming Safer Gambling Partner
WorldGaming has designated GamblePause, a Nigeria-based organisation focused on efforts to reduce gambling-related harm across the African continent, as its Safer Gambling Charity Partner for 2026.
Founded by Ladipo Abiose Akolade in 2015, GamblePause describes itself as a leading organisation dedicated to preventing and reducing gambling-related harm through research, education, and support services. GamblePause works with individuals, communities, and industry stakeholders in order to promote responsible gaming practices and to provide resources for those impacted by gambling problems.
Fourth edition of the initiative
This partnership marks the fourth year of Clarion’s Safer Gambling Charity initiative, and as part of the partnership, WorldGaming said that GamblePause will be playing an active role in industry discussions at major Clarion events, giving the organisation a global platform to promote its responsible gambling initiatives.
WorldGaming Managing Director Stuart Hunter stated that GamblePause has evolved from a grassroots awareness initiative into a powerful voice on safer gambling Africa, as throughout 2025, it reached over 5,500 people through its awareness programmes, along with having delivered over 3,000 one-to-one support counselling session through online means, in addition to other large-scale campaigns and initiatives.
GamblePause founder on the partnership
Akolade regarded the partnership as a historic milestone for GamblePause and a strong validation of their work. He stated that the partnership provides strong global platform to amplify the message of safer gambling across Africa, adding that it strengthens the organisation’s credibility and allows for more direct engagement with industry leaders in the aim of advancing responsible and sustainable gaming practices.
Speaking on GamblePause’s overarching aims, Akolade had said that he launched the organisation as someone who had personally experienced gambling-related harm for nearly a decade. He said that the 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. He continued that the organisation’s core aim is to empower individuals so that they can make informed choices, while also influencing industry practice and public policy in the direction towards responsible gambling standards.
Although GamblePause is based in and primarily operates in Nigeria, it supports individuals across the African continent, as Akolade stated that, for example, it supports individuals in Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya through virtual psychologist and online support services. He added that GamblePause also collaborates with partners in different regions, such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Akolade stated that GamblePause’s focus is on African countries that are experiencing rapid growth in online and youth gambling. He remarked that he is proud that it is the first organisation in Africa to offer free gambling rehabilitation support, which he commented removes financial barriers to care, therefore ensuring that help is available and accessible to all those who may need it. Akolade has spoken about the perception of problem gamblers within society, shining a light on the stigma that people struggling with problem gambling tend to face, as he had remarked that a lot of people have the belief that gambling is irresponsible and that gambling addicts are “the worst of them all”.
Detailing how GamblePause intends to utilise the partnership, Akolade stated that the organisation will be able to scale its gambling-harm awareness campaigns across Africa, as well as expand rehabilitation pathways, deliver evidence-informed safer gambling education, and engage policymakers and industry leaders to strengthen player-protection and harm-prevention policies across the continent. He added that another focus is to promote practical preventative solutions which safeguard vulnerable groups. “All of this work,” he commented, “is underpinned by a steadfast commitment to early intervention among young people.”
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