Nigeria's National Assembly is advancing the Central Gaming Act aimed at establishing a unified gambling regulatory system, but the bill is facing fierce opposition from state governments and the Federation of State Gaming Regulators of Nigeria (FSGRN). Opponents claim that the bill not only infringes on state sovereignty but also violates the latest Supreme Court ruling and the federal constitution.
The bill has completed three readings and proposes to establish a national gambling legislative system and set up a "National Gaming Commission" to uniformly regulate all gambling activities in federal jurisdictions and recognized territories, including online gambling, physical casinos, and lottery operations. The new commission would be endowed with extensive powers to issue and revoke gambling licenses, while repealing the existing National Lottery Act.
However, FSGRN strongly opposes this centralized scheme, pointing out that the bill contradicts a significant Supreme Court decision in November 2024. This ruling explicitly grants state governments sole regulatory authority over gambling activities within their jurisdictions, affirming that gambling management belongs to state-level authority and should not be centrally controlled by the federal government.
FSGRN also notes that several clauses in the bill violate the 1999 Nigerian Constitution's provisions on the division of state and federal powers. It warns that if the bill is forcibly passed, it will lead to widespread legal challenges and state-level resistance, undermining national legal stability.
Despite ongoing controversies, the bill is steadily progressing at the federal level, reflecting the federal government's strong desire to centralize regulation of the gambling market, enhance industry compliance, and control taxation. Observers note that Nigeria's gambling industry has grown rapidly in recent years, and the federal government is attempting to bring it under a unified regulatory framework to increase transparency and fiscal revenue.
Currently, Nigeria's gambling industry is primarily regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) under the 2005 National Lottery Act, but several states have established their own gambling regulatory bodies, leading to overlapping and even conflicting regulations.
This legislative conflict also reflects the increasingly complex regulatory ecosystem of the African gambling market. In May this year, Kenya announced a 30-day ban on gambling advertisements due to concerns about their impact on youth and society, followed by policies that completely prohibit celebrities and internet influencers from appearing in any form of gambling advertisements.
Whether the Nigerian Central Gaming Act can be successfully implemented amid opposition will be an important indicator of whether the future African gambling regulatory direction will lean towards centralization or autonomy.
