Stakers are kicking against a determined move by the House of Representatives to stop sports betting in the country. The resolution to ban sports betting followed the adoption of a motion by Kelechi Nwogu (PDP-Rivers) at plenary in Abuja on Thursday. According to the lawmaker, weak or neglected regulations of sports betting have given rise to mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. The lawmaker stressed that sports betting had also led to financial problems and broken relationships.
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to conduct a comprehensive nationwide campaign to raise public awareness about the negative impact of youth participation in sports betting.
The House also mandated the Committee on Inter–Governmental Affairs to conduct a public hearing on the dangerous effects of sports betting in Nigeria. It also urged the committee to report back to it within four weeks for further legislative action.
While the lawmakers are urging the National Lottery Regulatory Commission to comply with the Lottery Regulatory Commission Act, 2005 which curtails the operations of pools betting, Promoters and stakers wondered why the lawmakers are proposing a ban on a venture which has become a source of income to many impoverished Nigerians .
Reports claim that about 60 million Nigerians aged between 18 and 40 engage in sports betting as a means of survival . Data from the National Lottery Trust Fund indicate that over 65 million Nigerians actively engage in betting.
Promoters and stakers are insisting that the move by the lawmakers did not consider the current economic hardship in the country with people struggling to make ends meet and resorting to any means to make money .
- Agency reports with additional materials from TheNewsturf