Government reaffirms commitment to reposition Lottery and gaming industry

The Director-General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to addressing the challenges impeding growth of the lottery and gaming industry in the country.

Gbajabiamila stated this during the 2023 International Gaming Conference in Lagos, South-western Nigeria.

According to Gbajabiamila, the gaming and lottery sector has the capacity to grow the country’s economy if given the needed attention.

He added that it is time to take the sector to greater heights to enable it contribute its quota to the growth of the economy.

’’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,” he reiterated.

On 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 it’s 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.” She maintained.

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.