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Gambling industry regulators under the aegis of the Association of State Gaming Regulators (ASGR) have called on the Federal Government to streamline and make clear definitions of the roles of the federal and state regulators to ensure the viability of the industry and attract more investments.
The ASGR decried the current situation where the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) engage in a jurisdictional tussle with state regulators, creating chaos in the sector through double taxation of operators, duplication of roles, ineffective oversight and unfair competition among others.
The association’s position was made known in a communiqué signed by Abiola Are, director general, Lagos State Lottery Board and Harrison Ogara, chairman, Enugu State Gaming Commission, who are president and secretary of ASGR respectively.
According to the communiqué, the major problem with duplication of gaming regulatory roles at Federal and State government level has been revenue control and allocation.
It noted that while revenue generated from lottery and related activities is supplementary and applied to ‘good causes’ projects in specific sectors – usually education, health, social and sports sector, – best practice dictates that consideration is given to geographical areas that contribute the most to lottery when the fund is disbursed.
