Oyo Shuts Three Illegal Game Centers

By Bode Akinbode, Ibadan

Oyo State Gaming and Lottery Board, on Tuesday evening, clamped down on operators of gaming and lottery centres without an operational license within the State, shutting down three centers.

The three gaming centres that were sealed by the enforcement team of the board were all located within the Ibadan metropolis like Bodija, Idi-Ape and Dugbe.

The enforcement exercise was due to the failure of some operators of the gaming and lottery centers to regularise their operations with the appropriate body of the State Government responsible for their regularization and control.

In his remark, the Director General of the Oyo State Gaming and Lottery Board, Mr. Olajide Boladuro, said that the role of the Board is to regulate, curtail and promote the business of gaming and lottery in Oyo State, explaining that the Board has written on several occasions to the illegal operators of the gaming and lottery centers who were not licensed by the Board to operate in the State to come to the Board for dialogue and proper registration.

Mr. Olajide added that the Government of the day has created an enabling environment for the gaming and lottery business to operate, therefore there are laws that they must follow and abide by, which will certify them to do their business in the State.

“We regulate, we promote and we protect the citizens of Oyo State that are interested in the business of gaming and lottery and we want them to have a good experience.

“Those who are found violating the law by operating anything gaming, lottery, casino pools or scratch cards illegally, we try to enforce them to regularize and do their legitimate business within the State.

“This exercise is ongoing and it is a warning to others that are also in this category of unregistered status that the long arm of the law will soon catch them.”

The Director General called on those who are still operating gaming and lottery centers without license to keep in mind that there is a body established by the Government to regulate their activities, urging them to approach the office of the board for necessary measures.

“The problem that this creates, in the long run, is that if you bet with an operator that is not licensed and you get duped, then there is no way that we can assist you to make things right. That is why we want to know the people that are doing this business in our State and we will continue to sensitize the people to know that this is the only right way for them to go,” he added.