The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, Canice Nwachukwu, has called for the establishment of a central monitoring system for sports betting and gaming industry in the country.
He said this during a public hearing on the need to curtail the dangerous effects of sports betting and direct the National Lottery Regulatory Commission to comply with the Lottery Regulatory Commission Act at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
He said that while the committee would not advocate shutting down of the sector, laid down rules and regulations must be followed to avoid negative consequences on the society.
“We are all Nigerians. We would not go against people doing their business. They have rights to exercise their franchise, but what we are saying is that we have to play within the rules of the game.
“We have to arm the system to control and enforce all the provisions that would allow gaming and betting to flow smoothly without becoming a social menace.
“We have to play within the rules of engagement. That comes to the issue of a central monitoring system. It must be introduced. To a reasonable extent, this is going to help solve some of the problems we are having now,” he said.
The director-general of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, said lottery and gaming remained a veritable development instrument to make sports entertainment a revenue-spinning venture.
