The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) have signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deter unapproved lottery and gaming practices on telecommunications platforms through information and intelligence sharing.
The MoU, signed in Abuja on Wednesday, is in line with the NCC’s Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) 2021-2025 and aims to promote fair practices in the industry for the protection of telecommunications consumers in relation to lottery and gaming activities.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, stated that the collaboration is in line with the provisions of the Commission’s SVP, which provides for facilitation of strategic partnerships and collaborations with other bodies to enhance service delivery.
He also noted that the initial MoU had expired in 2022 and amendments and modifications had been made to reflect the dynamic nature of the industry, saying “The initial MoU expired in 2022, amendments and modifications have been made since no MoU is cast in stone, especially given the industry’s dynamic nature.”
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Director General of NLRC, Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, expressed confidence that the MoU will yield favorable outcomes in curbing illegal online gambling.
He highlighted how unapproved lottery and gaming activities and practices undermine the integrity of domestic and global gaming markets to the detriment of stakeholders in addition to undermining consumer confidence in these markets, hence the collaboration with the Commission to arrest such tendencies.
Under the agreement, following requests from NLRC, NCC shall endeavor to block or disable illegal lottery gaming operators on the telecommunications service providers’ platform in Nigeria.
The document was developed by a Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) comprising representatives of NCC and NLRC to implement the MoU and other matters that promote collaboration between both organizations in their regulatory functions.
The NCC’s involvement in this MoU highlights the commission’s commitment to protect the interests of telecommunications consumers and to promote fair practices in the industry.
This collaboration with NLRC aims to address the problem of unapproved lottery and gaming activities, which undermines the integrity of domestic and global gaming markets to the detriment of stakeholders.
