TheCable

The federal government has announced plans to acquire a central monitoring system (CMS) to help boost better performance and enhance revenue generation for Nigeria’s gaming industry.

George Akume, minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, said this at the opening of the maiden national gaming conference organised by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) in Lagos on Wednesday.

CMS is a regulatory tool designed to monitor electronic/online gaming machines (EGM) and video lottery terminals (VLT). It also helps to check daily/monthly balances of gaming machines and locations.

It is an application intended for state authorities to supervise the organization of games in betting shops, online casinos, and lottery platforms.

According to Akume, the CMS acquisition is already captured in the 2021 Appropriation Act, explaining that it will enable NLRC and the National Lottery Trust Fund perform maximally in their regulatory functions and provision of lottery good causes to Nigeria.

“The CMS is desperately desirable to enable the government to block leakages being experienced in the gaming industry as well as eliminate discrepancies often observed from the books of some operators,” he said.

“This will undoubtedly entrench transparency and accountability in the industry, thereby making things a lot easier for all stakeholders.

“As we may all be aware, the Lottery Commission was created in 2005 through the Act of the National Assembly to enable the government to properly organise the operation of Lottery business in Nigeria.

“Several stakeholders have made efforts to generate revenue for the government through lottery, however, it is sad to note that lottery revenues continue to fall short of industry potentials due to conflict of interests.”

Akume also said that in 2019, the country’s gaming industry grossed more than N250 billion, adding that revenues to the federal government did not exceed N1 billion that same year.

In his welcome address, Lanre Gbajabiamila, NLRC director-general, said the commission is working on the amendment of existing lottery laws to provide a legislative and regulatory framework that would best serve the industry.

He added that before the end of the year, the National Gaming Bill 2021 will be passed into law.

Some of companies that fall into the gaming industry include 1XBET, Bet9ja, Gamsole, Kuluya, 888 Casino and Betway.