…says renewal of license mandatory for licensed operators, agents

The Enugu State Gaming and Lotto Commission (ESGC) has given all operators and agents of illegal gaming outlets, sports betting, lotto outposts and other promotional games across the state a 14-day notice to register with the Commission or risk being shut down by the government. 

The Commission has also enjoined licensed operators and agents in the state to renew their licenses within the next two weeks to avoid sanction from government, adding that the law makes it mandatory for operators to apply for the renewal of their licenses in order to keep operating. 

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This was even as the ESGC said it had already made significant progress in its efforts to reposition and streamline the Commission to encourage genuine investors who have started to indicate interest in the state, adding that technology is being deployed to strengthen the system in order to harness and harmonise the various operations of gaming activities across the 17 local government areas. 

While announcing some critical reforms the Commission is presently going through, the Executive Secretary of ESGC, Prince Arinze Arum, in a press statement personally signed by him, said the Commission was taking steps that would help it enumerate the various gaming outlets, and other related operations such as pools betting, lotto, sports betting,promotional games, slot machine games, snooker boards among others to have the correct data of such entities operating in the state. 

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The statement expressed disappointment that despite the conducive environment provided by the government to encourage the operations of gaming activities in the state, most operators had been evading tax and deliberately frustrating the effort of the government. 

The statement further called on operators and agents who had not filed their returns or paid their stipulated fees to the government to do that before the end of the 14 day notice as failure to comply would attract consequences in line with the provisions of the law. 

Citing CAP 86 of the laws of Enugu State, the Executive Secretary maintained that the law empowers the Commission with the regulation of gaming activities, saying there was a deliberate step by ESGC to make the state a gaming hub in the country. 

The statement, however, warned operators and agents in the industry not to make cash payment to individuals or any payment to bank accounts different from the state internally generated revenue account of the state.