NLRC Warns to withdraw licenses, shut shops involving underage in gambling

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission, NLRC, has warned that it would withdraw licenses and shut shops involving underage in gambling and gaming activities, stating that such people are still immature to be involved in such.

Sounding the note of warning when it stormed Onitsha South council headquarters to sensitise students/stateholders on the need to avoid involving themselves in gambling/gaming if underage, Mr Nwafor Ramsey, Head of Enforcement, NLRC, Enugu Zone, reiterated that offenders would not be spared.

He collaborated the position of Barr. Immaculata Mbaso, the founder/Chief Executive Officer, Gaming Safe Initiative, stating that the duo synergize for effective adherence to the law guiding gambling/gaming in the country.

“What Barr Mbaso is doing is part of our portfolio, activity in enforcement and monitoring, to ensure that lottery is done the right way. To play lottery the right way, underage must be removed, we are not talking about minimizing it, we are talking about total elimination, and there are instant laws already, from 2005, national lottery act to 2007 regulation and 2010 national lottery act.

“All of them are talking about how underage gamblng will be eliminated, to ensure that every gaming shop does not permit underage, and if that is not done, we have the right to make sure that licence of that shop is withdrawn, if there is proof that there are underage in your shop,

” We are doing advocacy on national regulatory commission at Lagos, Abuja, Enugu and Ibadan, sensitizing people that lottery is good for economic empowerment but must be played the right way and one of the best way is not to allow underage because they don’t have the mind to understand the dangers of lottery. So we are doing a lot in terms of advocacy to ensure that underage is eliminated.

“Every gaming shop must have +18 at their shop. Our challenge is age determination in Nigeria, that is why what Federal Government is doing now is in line with the Censor Commission, National Population Commission for one to must have had the date of birth. It is very helpful to know the age of a person, so that when the agencies in charge of regulatory queue in, they will know that this person is under or above the age.

“The advocacy goes down to the schools, please no teacher should encourage students to go into gambling or gaming and the same to the parents irrespective of the economic situation because for years gaming has raised revenue for the government and owners. It is also dangerous to underage mind,” he stated.

Contributing, Onitsha South Local Government Transition chairman, Hon Emeka Orji, advised the students to focus on their studies for brighter future, stating that Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s administration has given free education for all the government schools in the state, employed 5000 teachers and will soon employ more 3000 teachers to make sure that education did not have any impediment in the state.

“Education will place you above poverty level, make education your priority,” he pleaded to them assuring them of scholarship to the best student to the highest level.

”We have a lot to do for schools, I have started doing so many to secondary schools and will like to meet private school teachers to know what they need,” he hinted.

Speaking, Mbaso stated that, ” I have been in the gaming industry for years but when you see the lapses and inherent acts that are in gambling, I decided to fund the initiative to force the government to listen and create laws and policies that will better protect especially children.

“We are promoting responsible gambling for adults but for children, we are trying to give the message a no no, that it is prohibited, what we want is for it to be criminalised, if they can criminalise drugs, it is addictive than drugs. In all the addiction, drugs, alcohol, this is the one with highest rate of suicide.
So we need to protect the students, these children that’s why we started from the grassroot.

“So far in this country there is only two of us, so we need more awareness, so I came down from Lagos and I am from this state, let government as well listen to us, create a gambling board, you cannot bound it because it is a legal business but can be regulated.

“There should be also need for taskforce unannounced and when you found a child there, you can give them fine or seal the shop, so that is what we are advocating for

The disadvantages in gambling is that people are wasting their monies, for the adult that are doing it, ” let them use their senses, let them use the money they can easily forget when gambling, don’t use the money kept for useful things for it. but for children, it affects their mental health, the anxiety, depression in it is so much.

“I have seen some people who embezzled their business capital on gambling and hanged themselves, some children indulge in many immoral acts to get money for gambling, if they can be gotten at this early stage, they will not gamble with their future,” she assured.

Some speakers who also taught on underage gambling, its emotional intelligent and the effects on mental health were Dr Mrs Ngozi Oguejiofor from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Miss Linda Ferdinand, a Nurse

Highlight of the event was question from the students which was answered by Mr Nwafor and cultural dance from the students.