Following last week’s statement on unlicensed operators from Lagos’ Gaming Authority, Nigeria’s National Lottery Regulatory Commission has sought to address ‘confusion’ surrounding the listed operators.
In a statement from the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Association last week, the regulator listed 43 operators that it suggests have been operating betting and gambling services without a licence, including firms such as NetBet and Yolo Group’s Sportsbet.io brand.
Within the statement, Lagos bettors were discouraged from partaking in any services offered by the listed operators, referring to them as ‘unknown and illegal’.
Now, in a turn of events, the NLRC – Nigeria’s national regulator – has clarified that 21 out of the 43 supposedly unlicensed operators listed by the LSLGA are in fact licenced at a federal level and are therefore legal throughout Nigeria, including the state of Lagos.
The 21 mislabeled firms include Zebet, Betika, Gobet, Msport, Afribet, Bangbet, Betwazobia, Korebet, 22bet, Paripesa, LiveScore Bet, Blavkbet/Betty Bingo, CloudBet, Hallabet, N1bet, Konfambet, Scratch2Win, Naijabet, Lottomania and Millionaire Powerplay.
The national regulator explained that the LSGLA statement “created confusion in the Nigeria gaming industry and the Commission has been inundated with requests on the status of the operators tagged ‘unlicensed and illegal.”
The NLRC concluded by saying that it “deeply regrets any misconceptions the unfortunate publication may have caused national gaming licensee operating within the ambit of the law in Nigeria.”
However, the majority of the companies listed by the LSLGA, including Sportsbet.io and NetBet, have not been included in the NLRC’s clarifying statement, suggesting that they remain discouraged.
