The Oyo State Gaming and Lottery Board has shut down about ten gaming centres, in what could be described as aggressive clampdown on illegal operations.
The Board reiterated the commitment of the government to fighting underage gaming, among other sharp practices, within operators in the state.
The enforcement team of the Board, led by the Director General, Mr Olajide Boladuro, toured areas like Agodi, Mokola, Sabo, Ojoo, Alakia and Gate, in an exercise that lasted for about six hours.
Boladuro explained that the exercise was backed by the law because a Federal High Court judgement had, in June, 2020, given the Oyo State government the right to regulate, enforce and tax operators of gaming and lottery in the state, as has been enforced in other states in the country, in order to regulate the gaming and lottery industry.
He stated: “The law was enacted in 2018 to ensure that we weed out illegal operators and people who have been non-compliant with the directives and regulations of the Board. We are basically looking out for illegal operators and those not complying with the state laws that are not doing the needful as far as doing business in Oyo State is concerned.”
“What this exercise does is that it sends the right signal to all illegal operators and creates a sane environment for the ones that are doing the needful. It’s been a long coming exercise because we knew there has been a lot of operators that are operating illegally by not registering with the board and following the rules and regulations of the game,” the DG noted.
Weed out Illegal Operators
He disclosed that the purpose of the exercise was to weed out illegal operators and send a clear signal to other operators that the Oyo State government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, would not tolerate the operations of illegal operators of gaming and lottery business.
The DG expressed shock at the presence of some underage persons at some of the shut gaming centres, saying clear signals had been sent, during the last stakeholders meeting held by the Board, and agreed to by the operators, that underage gaming would not be tolerated in Oyo State.
He said: “To my surprise today, we walked into a store and saw some young lads sitting in the store and the operator already knows the implication of that under the law and we will use the law to do the needful concerning what we saw. But, we will continue to tell all parents and guardians and all operators that they should desist from the act of underage gaming.”
Boluduro asserted that Governor Seyi Makinde was committed to making businesses thrive in the state by creating an enabling environment, therefore the need to send the signal to illegal operators.
He said the focus was not to shut them out of business but to make them comply with the rules and laws guiding their operations and as soon as they regularise their business their shops wouldl be reopened promptly.
Some of the operators that were shut for operating against the laws of the state include: Surebet, Inaolaji Building, Agodi; Bestbet360, Western Lotto, Mokola and Surebet247, Sabo, Mokola.
Others are: Betland, Agodi-Gate market; Bestbet360, Agodi; Bestbet360 Alakia and Betland, Ojoo.
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