Government Reaffirms Commitment to Reposition Lottery and Gaming Industry
Cynthia Okere, Lagos
The Gaming and Lottery sector in Nigeria has the capacity to grow the country’s economy if given the needed attention.
The Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila stated this in Lagos, South western Nigeria during the 2023 International Gaming Conference.
According to Gbajabiamila, it is time to take gaming to greater heights to enable it contribute its quota to the growth of the economy hence the need to address the challenges impeding its growth.
“The gaming sector we believe holds the key to economic growth and it is a potent tool for addressing the pressing issues of unemployment and low per Capita income,” he stated.
According to him, technology has made gaming more dynamic and reshaped how people engage and perceive the industry, calling on all stakeholders to leverage the digital era to revamp the industry.
“The digital era has fundamentally reshaped how we perceive and engage in the gaming industry. This transformation has brought challenges and opportunities, making it increasingly complex for any state to exert regulatory control. Regulatory bodies and stakeholders must adapt to this new landscape to ensure the continued integrity and security of the gaming industry.”
For his part, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo, called for more collaborations among the operators of the industry to ensure a steady growth of the gaming industry in the country.
“Government will do all its executive power to ensure that the gaming industry remain on the steady growth. I encourage all the operators to strengthen their collaboration to consolidate the progress made in taking gaming industry to greater heights,” he said.
One of the participants, Rachel Volberg from the US harps on the need for credibility so that people are not affected negatively.
“I’m more interested in how lotteries and gamings can reduce and minimize over involvement. It has to be done carefully so that it doesn’t affect people negatively.”
The two-Day conference has its theme; Innovation and Disruption: Core Strategies For Success.
It was the first international Gaming Conference in Nigeria hosting lottery and gaming industry giants from across the world to address the mounting challenges faced by the African gaming industry.
