Nigeria’s Coalition of Good Governance Condemns National Assembly Over Controversial Central Gaming Bill

The Coalition of Good Governance (CCG), a civil and public interest consortium in Nigeria, has strongly condemned the National Assembly’s renewed attempt to push the Nigeria Central Gaming Bill, branding it a “voyage of legislative rascality, recklessness and lawlessness” during a recent media briefing.

The controversy traces back to July, when the Federation of State Gaming Regulators of Nigeria (FSGRN) voiced strong opposition to the bill, which seeks to grant the federal government control over all games of chance. The proposed law mirrors the framework of the National Lottery Act 2005, which was struck down by the Supreme Court in November 2024. The Court had ruled that lottery and gaming activities fall under the jurisdiction of state legislative assemblies, not the federal government.

Despite this, the House of Representatives has continued efforts to pass a similar law. The move has drawn sharp criticism for appearing to flout the Supreme Court’s ruling, which serves as the ultimate authority on federal law and constitutional interpretation.

“Once the court has made a decision on a subject, it becomes final and binding on all persons and authorities – including the executive and the legislature,” said Nelson Ekujumi, leader of the CCG, during its recent conference. “We are at a loss to try and rationalise why the National Assembly, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, is attempting to illegally and unconstitutionally rewrite the law. This is nothing short of legislative provocation and lawlessness which stands condemned in all ramifications.”

Ekujumi further warned, “If the Senate proceeds with this illegal bill, it would amount to a brazen defiance of judicial authority and a direct attack on the rule of law.”

Legal experts have echoed these concerns. Obinna Akpuchukwu, a gaming law specialist and senior partner at Allen & Marylebone, described the National Assembly’s actions as not only “unconstitutional” but “unfounded.” Speaking to iGB, he criticised repeated attempts to override the Supreme Court’s ruling on Nigeria’s lottery and gaming framework.

“The Central Gaming Bill, if passed into law, will be unconstitutional,” Akpuchukwu stated. He dismissed proponents’ claims that the legislation is necessary to regulate online and remote gaming, noting that the repealed National Lottery Act already encompassed such activities. “All the forms of gaming activities stated in sections 24(1) and 25(1) of the Central Gaming Bill which the Central Gaming Commission will regulate when the bill is passed into law are accommodated within the definition of ‘lottery’ as provided in section 57 of the nullified National Lottery Act,” he said. In other words, the Supreme Court did not differentiate between land-based and online or remote gaming activities in its ruling.

Akpuchukwu suggested that a constitutional amendment would be the only viable route for the National Assembly to establish a central regulatory body for online and remote gaming. “In the decision of the Supreme Court in Attorney General of Lagos State & Ors vs Attorney General of the Federation & Ors (2025), the court emphatically declared that lottery and gaming are not matters listed in either the Exclusive or Concurrent Legislative Lists of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” he explained. “Rather, gaming and lottery are items within the Residual Matters, meaning only state governments have the constitutional authority to legislate and regulate such activities within their territories. Neither the Exclusive Legislative list nor the Concurrent Legislative list contains ‘online gaming’.”

He added, “If the National Assembly feels strongly that it needs to have a central regulatory body for online/remote gaming, then the best approach would be to begin the process of amending the constitution to include online gaming in the Exclusive Legislative list. The current attempt to enact the Central Gaming Bill into law will only be a wasted effort,” he concluded, warning that the Supreme Court is likely to nullify it, just as it did the National Lottery Act.

The debate underscores growing tensions between federal ambitions and state autonomy in Nigeria’s gaming sector, as well as the legal and constitutional challenges that continue to shape policymaking in the country.

By fLEXI tEAM