On 14 May 2025, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) announced that the FCT Lottery Regulatory Office (FCT-LRO) will commence regulating gaming operations in the FCT. Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila who was the Director General (DG) of the now-defunct National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), is now the DG of the FCT-LRO. In announcing the new regulatory framework, the DG noted that all licenses or permits issued by the NLRC will remain valid and enforceable in the FCT.

This announcement follows the decision of the Supreme Court in November 2024 that affirmed that only states have the authority to regulate gaming operations, and declared the National Lottery Act 2005 (NLA) as ultra vires, null and void, thus bringing to an end the NLRC’s 20-year national regulatory regime. Consequently, the application of the NLA and the powers of NLRC are now limited to the FCT, being the only part of the country that the National Assembly is empowered to regulate gaming/lottery activities.

For gaming operators, particularly those who relied only on the NLRC’s licenses/permit for their operations, this announcement emphasises the need to regularise their compliance status in all the states where they operate. Additionally, players in the industry may need to initiate regulatory and stakeholder engagement to review the license terms and conditions for new licenses or license renewals, given the limited regulatory nature of FCT-LRO. It is also essential that the NLA is repealed or amended to reflect the current lottery/gaming regulatory regime applicable in the FCT.

Our live tracker of state gaming regulations has been updated to reflect this development to the regulatory framework in the FCT. Click here to view.