Nigeria's Gaming Sector Targets FATF Grey List Exit by 2025

Nigeria's gaming sector is under evaluation as part of the country's efforts to address deficiencies in its anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) frameworks, as identified in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 2021 mutual evaluation report. The report highlighted Nigeria's non-compliance and partial compliance across several FATF recommendations, particularly regarding the supervision of non-financial business professions, including casinos.

The FATF has set a deadline for Nigeria to implement a 19-item action plan by October 24, 2025, to exit the grey list. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is establishing a special crime unit to combat money laundering, while the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) is partnering with three gaming associations to enhance compliance.

The next mutual evaluation is expected in 2027, focusing on behavioral changes and the quality of customer due diligence in the gaming sector.