The Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority has named 43 betting, casino and lottery operators as guilty of carrying out unlicensed activities in the Nigerian state of Lagos.
Included in a recent statement from the regulatory board, notable names like Yolo Group’s Sportsbet.io, online casino conglomerate NetBet and crypto casino and sportsbook Cloudbet were singled out as having violated state licensing laws.
The 43 online operators are suggested to have breached the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority Law 2021, with specific breaches against a section that states “a person without a substituting licence or authorisation from the Authority shall not conduct or operate any gaming activity in the state”.
Consumers in Lagos State have been discouraged from betting or playing with the 43 mentioned companies, referring to the firms as ‘illegal and unknown to the LSLGA’.
To conclude its statement, the LSLGA reinforced its commitment to “regulating and promoting the Lagos gaming industry to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are adequately promoted”.
Appearing at last month’s SBC Summit Barcelona, industry leaders from B2C companies and regulators convened on a panel session to discuss African market dynamics. In this conversation, Nigeria continued to be a key topic of conversation.
Olabimpe Akingba, Executive Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers, notably had a few words to say about regulators, particularly regarding social responsibility and safer gambling.
“At the moment regulators are not doing much on that part,” she said. “If I speak for Nigeria, it is really low, beyond what is written in the books enforcement and what is in law are at the barest minimum.
“We have seen addiction, there is nothing in place for treatment and I know that the regulators are not that focused at the moment and it is important for them to look at it.”