Nigerian Regulator Apologizes for Blacklisting 21 Legal Gambling Companies

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), the agency in charge of gambling in Nigeria, has admitted to a major blunder in its recent list of unlicensed gambling operators.

The list was published by the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSGLA) and included 43 betting firms and lottery operators. The NLRC warned Nigerians not to deal with these blacklisted, illegal sites.

But there was a catch: 21 of the 43 companies were actually licensed by the federal government and had the right to operate legally across all states in the country.

The NLRC realized its mistake and issued an apology, saying that the Lagos state commission “had created confusion in the Nigeria gaming industry and the Commission has been inundated with requests on the Status of the operators tagged ‘unlicensed and illegal’.”

The NLRC added that it “deeply regrets any misconceptions the unfortunate publication may have caused the national gaming licensees operating within the ambit of the law in Nigeria.”

Ironically, at the recent SBC Summit international gambling forum in Barcelona, Nigerian betting industry representatives praised the NLRC as a more reliable regulator than state-level commissions, especially when it comes to online gambling.