Federal Capital Territory Lottery Regulatory Office (FCT - LRO) issues Public Notice to Gaming Operators and the General Public

The Federal Capital Territory Lottery Regulatory Office (FCT-LRO) hereby informs gaming operators, industry stakeholders and the general public that the Office has commenced operations as the regulatory authority responsible for the oversight, regulation and supervision of gaming activities within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Following the Supreme Court judgment in Attorney-General of Lagos State & 21 Others v. Attorney-General of the Federation & 15 Others, Suit No. SC/1/2008, the constitutional position on the regulation of lotteries and gaming has been clarified. By virtue of Section 299 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the FCT has a distinct constitutional status, with the National Assembly exercising legislative powers ordinarily vested in a State House of Assembly.

Accordingly, gaming operators conducting business within the FCT are required to comply with the applicable FCT licensing and regulatory requirements and engage with the FCT- LRO on all regulatory matters.

The Office clarifies that the Supreme Court judgment did not expressly settle the full regulatory framework applicable to online gaming. In particular, the judgment did not establish that any one State has exclusive regulatory control over the online gaming market.

Accordingly, the online gaming market remains open to operators and investors. Operators are free to choose the regulator from whom they wish to obtain their gaming licence or authorisation, based on their business model, operational needs and the regulatory framework they consider most suitable and beneficial to their business.

This choice may be exercised without undue interference, intimidation or coercive treatment by any State regulator solely on the basis that an operator has elected to obtain its licence from another regulator, as every state is duly empowered to regulate gaming activities within its relevant jurisdiction.

Operators are, however, reminded that the online nature of a gaming platform does not, in itself, exempt an operation from applicable licensing and regulatory obligations where such obligations arise.

The FCT-LRO remains committed to providing a transparent, consistent and predictable regulatory environment for digital gaming operations within the Federal Capital Territory.

All gaming operators previously licensed by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) who are currently operating, or intend to operate, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are hereby required to approach the FCT-LRO to regularise their regulatory status.

The Office further clarifies that any NLRC licence that remains valid and has not expired will be recognised for the remainder of its validity period and converted to the corresponding FCT-LRO licence. Accordingly, holders of former NLRC licences will retain the benefit of their unexpired licence terms, subject to the regularisation process prescribed by the FCT-LRO.

Affected operators are required to present and hand over their former NLRC-issued licences for verification and documentation, complete the applicable regularisation procedures and obtain the appropriate FCT gaming licence.

All affected operators are required to commence the regularisation process within 7 days of publication of this notice.

For public awareness and regulatory transparency, the following operators are currently recognised as licensed operators within the FCT. Members of the public are encouraged to verify the licensing status of gaming operators before engaging their services.

List of FCT-LRO Casino Operators

1. SV GAMING LIMITED

2. JARA INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

3. N1 INTERACTIVE AFRICA LIMITED

4. KC GAMING NETWORKS LTD

5. CHANNELS BET LIMITED

6. INFINITY MOBILE GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT

LIMITED

7. GALAXY INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT CITY

LIMITED

8. LOTWIN GAMING LIMITED

9. 29 TECHOPS LIMITED

10. SPADE ONLINE GAMING NIGERIA LIMITED

11. SPORTY INTERNET LTD

12. MOBILE SPORTS LIMITED

13. CHANNELS BET

14. SPADE ONLINE LIMITED

15. AK ENTERTAINMENT

16. FOOTBALL INTERNET LTD

17. FORTUNE HOUSE NETWORK

18. PREDICTPRO GAMING LIMITED

19. DEYPLAY GAMING and SPORTS LIMITED

20. SAFITEK TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

21. BET AFRIK LIMITED

List of FCT-LRO Sports Betting Operators

1. KC GAMING LTD

2. SPORTY INTERNET LIMITED

3. SV GAMING LIMITED

4. AFRICLICK LIMITED

5. GORILLA GAMES BET LIMITED

6. FOOTBALL INTERNET LIMITED

7. JARA INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

8. WINIT LIMITED

9. BRANDSTAR LIMITED

10. CHANNELS BET LIMITED

11. MOBILE SPORTS LIMITED

12. FIRST EQUITY GLOBAL INVESTMENT LIMITED

13. MOBILE SPORTS LIMITED

14. AK ENTERTAINMENT

15. PESACH GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

16. 29TECHOPS LIMITED

17. SOKABET DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED

18. SKYTECHOPS NIGERIA LIMITED

19. EUROMATCH NIGERIA LIMITED

20. LUCKY9JA LOTTO LIMITED

21. PREDICTPRO GAMING LIMITED

22. DEYPLAY GAMING and SPORTS LIMITED

23. FANE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS TOUR LIMITED

24. FAVOURBET LIMITED

25. JOLLYBET LIMITED

List of FCT-LRO Lotto Operators

1. LUCKY9JA LOTTO LIMITED

2. DERBY LOTTO LIMITED

3. YELLOWDOT AFRICA NIGERIA LIMITED

4. INTERNATIONAL GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT

LIMITED

5. MORRICH LOTTO LIMITED

6. EMERALDS DISTRIBUTION LTD

7. FIRST EQUITY GLOBAL INVESTMENT LIMITED

List of FCT-LRO Interactive Gaming Operators

1. GOLDEN HONEY BADGER

2. VDL TECHNOLOGIES

3. ZNL GAMING LIMITED

4. GOLDEN LOFT LIMITED

5. WHOT STUDIOS LIMITED

6. WHOT STUDIOS LIMITED

7. HEMINGWAY TECHNOLOGY LIMITED

8. TELEDEUS NIGERIA LIMITED

9. MSR INNOVATIONS NIGERIA LIMITED

10. BIG TREE INNOVATION LIMITED

11. NETAPPS MARKETPLACE LIMITED

12. ISABEE INTERACTIVE LIMITED

13. WINSGALORE LIMITED

14. BIGFOOT UNIVERSE LIMITED

15. DPAY SECURED ONLINE SERVICES LIMITED

16. ROCKFORD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

SOLUTIONS LIMITED

17. MSR INNOVATIONS NIGERIA LIMITED

18. MSR INNOVATIONS NIGERIA LIMITED

19. CAPIVAS AFRICA LIMITED

20. EHIRE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LIMITED

21. OTGAME DIGITAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED

22. D'KINGS MEN MEDIA LIMITED

23. REMBRANDT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED

24. REMBRANDT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED

25. REMBRANDT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED

26. TETRAGRAMMATON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

27. TETRAGRAMMATON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

All licensing applications, regulatory enquiries, compliance matters and official correspondence should be directed to the FCT-LRO through the following channels:

Office Address: 2B Embu Crescent, Ishaku Rabiu Estate, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Telephone: +234 802 347 6076 / +234 813 052 5876

Email: info@lro.abj.gov.ng

The FCT-LRO reiterates its commitment to promoting responsible gaming, protecting consumers, strengthening regulatory oversight and fostering a transparent and investment-friendly gaming industry within the Federal Capital Territory.

All operators and stakeholders are advised to take note and ensure compliance.

SIGNED:

DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Federal Capital Territory Lottery Regulatory Office (FCT-LRO)

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