Lottery Regulators Clash Over Blacklisting of Naijabet, Msport,17 Other Sports Betting Companies
- The Lottery Regulatory Commission has criticised the claim that some betting companies in Nigeria are unlicenced
- This is against an earlier claim by the Lagos Lottery and Gaming Authority that some 43 companies were unlicenced
- NLRC said Msport, Afribet, Bangbet, Betwazobia and 15 others are not part of the unlicensed lot
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A publication by the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority identifying some betting enterprises as unauthorised has been criticised by industry regulators as harmful to the development of the gaming sector.
This follows an earlier statement by the LSLGA issuing a public notice warning to the gaming community to avoid supporting 43 lottery and gaming platforms that did not have the necessary licences to operate in the state.
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The National Lottery Regulatory Commission, NLRC, on the other hand, asserted in a statement through its Director General, Lanre Gbajabiamila, that some of the gaming establishments listed in the LSLGA publication as being unlicensed and illegal had legitimate licences to run lotteries and sportsbooks in Nigeria.
Zebet, Betika, Gobet247, Msport, Afribet, Bangbet, Betwazobia, Koretbet, Paripesa, Livescorebet, Blackbet/betty Bingo, Cloudbet, Hallabet, N1bet, Konfambet, Scratch2win, Naijabet, Lottomania, and Millionaire Powerplay were included as licensees in the NLRC release.
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According to the report, the confusion caused by the development has been seen as having unnecessarily shaken the stability the industry had been experiencing.
It noted that this follows a court decision that recognised the NLRC as the legitimate organisation with the authority to oversee the sector in Nigeria.
The NLRC stated:
“Some industry experts believe LSLB’s action is an affront to the ruling by Justice Iniekenimi Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos State that the Federal Government, through the National Assembly, had the exclusive right to legislate and control lottery activities in the country.
It stated that a lawsuit brought by the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers in 2020 resulted in a decision from Justice Oweibo.
Legit.ng earlier highlighted Nigeria's seven best betting sites in 2023 and their top offers and bonuses.
US Government Opens Visa Lottery Application, 2 Options for Nigerians To Qualify
Legit.ng reported that the United States has opened applications for its 2025 Diversity Visa Programme, popularly known as the visa lottery.
In a statement published on its website and obtained by Legit.ng, the US department said the application will close on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
The statement reads: "The online registration period for the DV-2025 Program begins on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4) and concludes on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5).
Source: Legit.ng
