Commission attributes negative sentiments about lottery to ignorance

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) says lottery is a tool for economic development, countering the negative sentiments being expressed about the scheme due to ignorance.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adolphus Ekpe, gave this explanation when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

Ekpe said that the clarification became imperative because of the misconception by many Nigerians, particularly in the religious circles, that lottery is the same thing as gambling.

``Gambling is a mere chance and that is why we say that gambling is a win-lose game. It is either you win or you lose but lottery is a win-win game.’’

He said that the public needed the right education and right knowledge in order not to see lottery as gambling but as a tool for development in the sense that lottery proceeds are used to promote ``Good Causes”.

He explained that `Good Causes’ are projects that touch the lives of ordinary citizens, adding that it could be in health, transportation, education or in sports.

``Lottery is such that not every participant will win that is why some people try to equate it with gambling.

``There is that chance element, but the point there is that lottery could be tie to banking services; lottery could be tie to any other service that anybody is providing.

``Lottery could be tie to a product, so if you tell somebody buy my product and stand a chance of winning something you’ve introduced lottery into your marketing scheme, into your sales promotion.

``People need the right knowledge so that somebody will not say that lottery is `chacha’ because those are the fictitious and bad names that have been given to lottery.

``We have to carry out more public enlightenment and more lottery education.’’

Ekpe said that lottery could be played for two reasons either for income or as a civic duty to the country.