In a landmark decision on November 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of Nigeria fundamentally reshaped the regulatory landscape of the country’s gaming industry. The Court ruled that the National Assembly lacked the constitutional authority to legislate on lottery and gaming activities, rendering the National Lottery Act of 2005 void. This judgment effectively transfers regulatory control from the federal government to individual state governments.
Prior to the Judgement, the National Lottery Act 2005 (NLA) established a centralized framework for regulating lotteries and gaming in Nigeria, with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) overseeing the issuance of various licenses and permits. These included:
• Lottery licenses
• Sports betting permits
• Interactive/mobile lottery permits
• Promotional lottery permits
• Casino gaming permits and
• Remote/offshore operator permits.

The NLRC also set specific licensing requirements, and entities falling under these categories only needed to obtain the relevant federal licenses to operate nationwide. However, individual states maintained that gaming operators must secure state-issues licenses, regardless of their federal approval. As a result, operators often had to acquire both state and federal licenses to avoid regulatory conflicts. The recent Supreme Court ruling has now altered this regulatory landscape. Click on the link to down load full article: