***Affirms FG jurisdiction over all online lottery activities
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, has reiterated the Commission’s commitment to supporting the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers (ANB), while also urging its members to ensure accurate and prompt remittances to the Federal Government.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the ANB in Abuja, Gbajabiamila expressed the Federal Government’s concern over the non-compliance of certain lottery operators, particularly those running unlicensed online casinos.
“The Commission will, from now on, sanction operators who fail to remit their dues, change their business addresses without notification, or operate online casinos without the proper licenses,” Gbajabiamila asserted.
The visit provided a platform for ANB Chairman, Sheriff Babatunde Olaniyan, to outline several concerns troubling the association.
These included allegations of non-compliance, recent NLRC enforcement actions in Ibadan and Lagos, issues with the Commission’s Cybersecurity Framework Fees, and concerns about withholding tax regulations.
Olaniyan also raised the need for NLRC intervention on the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria’s (ARCON) “unrealistic” guidelines, as well as clarification on the role of the National Lottery Trust Fund in gaming regulations.
In defense of ANB members, Olaniyan argued that the allegations of non-compliance were exaggerated, claiming that 98% of its members adhere to NLRC regulations.
“The non-compliant operators are not active members of our association. We also urge the Commission to provide us with clearer guidelines for remittances and review the high fees for casino licenses, as they are prohibitive for young operators. Casino operations are mainly profitable during the football off-season,” Olaniyan explained.
He also requested prior notification before NLRC enforcement actions so that operators could prepare and meet all regulatory requirements.
However, the NLRC was firm in its stance, with Gbajabiamila insisting that no prior notice would be given before enforcement exercises.
He advised all operators to comply with the Terms and Conditions of their permits.
“We will not notify you before enforcement. For some time now, we have refrained from major enforcement actions, but now we must act. Some operators are running unlicensed online casinos and then claim they are unprepared when caught. We have reviewed the situation and decided it’s time to address the excesses of some non compliant operators” Gbajabiamila said.
Addressing the issue of casino license fees, Gbajabiamila stated that the Commission carefully considered the fees, and was not thinking of any downwards review for now. He reminded the ANB delegation that only financially capable operators were required to be in the industry.
Regarding ANB’s request for a review of quarterly remittances, Gbajabiamila noted, “We will get back to you on this, but we have it in good authorities that many operators are thriving financially. If necessary, we may begin revoking licenses to determine the actual number of solvent and serious operators.”
Gbajabiamila further addressed the ongoing jurisdictional dispute between the Federal Government and Lagos State, emphasizing that all online lottery activities fall under the Federal Government’s purview.
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He expressed the willingness of the NLRC to resolve all issues around this jurisdictional misunderstanding, which he said had lingered for a long time.
“We have communicated this to the Lagos State government, and they have acknowledged our position. We are open and transparent about this. We believe that Federal agencies are unlikely to work with state bodies on this matter.
“The way forward therefore is for the issues to be amicably resolved as soon as possible in the interest of all stakeholders. The bottom line is revenue and we are ready to share it with states,” the NLRC DG remarked.
Gbajabiamila reassured the ANB that the NLRC was committed to supporting its members and would look into their requests for meetings with the Presidential Committee on the new tax regime, a review of cybersecurity fees, and engaging with the Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund regarding concerns on regulatory overlap.
Present at the meeting from the NLRC were members of the Commission’s management team, while the ANB delegation included its Chairman, Sheriff Babatunde Olaniyan, Legal Advisor Olafadeke Akeju, Executive Secretary Zuma Oladele-Alabi, and Chief Compliance Officer (Bet9ja), Adewale Akande.
