On the 22nd of November 2024, the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered a landmark judgment nullifying the National Lottery Act, Cap N145, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and declared that the power to legislate on lottery and gaming rests with the State Houses of Assembly. In essence, the apex court held that lottery and other related activities are matters within the residual list in the constitution and therefore can only be regulated by the respective states that make up the federation. The case is reported as Attorney General of Lagos State & Ors v. Attorney General of the Federation & Ors (2025) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1984) 43.
However, in an attempt to circumvent the decision of the Supreme Court above, the National Assembly now seeks to enact the Central Gaming Bill, 2025 into law. The Bill has been passed by the Nigeria Federal House of Representatives and has undergone its third reading at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If passed by the Senate, it will be presented to the President for assent. The proponents of the bill are arguing that the proposed law is different in scope from the nullified National Lottery Act and that the bill when passed into law will not violate the constitution or go contrary to the Supreme Court decision that nullified the National Lottery Act.
In this article, we seek to review the Central Gaming Bill to determine if its provisions are likely to violate the Nigerian Constitution in the light of the subsisting decision of the Supreme Court on the subject matter.
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