The Bucharest Edition

April 25, 26 and 27

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

THE NETWORKING EVENT OF THE YEAR

3 DAYS OF CONFERENCE, NETWORKING BREAKS AND EVENING PROGRAMS

BESPOKE SPEAKERS AND PANELS

MORE THAN 250 SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND C-LEVEL DELEGATES

+50 DIFFERENT ONLINE/ MULTICHANNEL AND LANDBASED CASINO OPERATORS

Nigeria, with a population of about 185 million people, is Africa's most populous country and the seventhmost-populated country in the world. As such it represents an interesting market for any type of business. Gambling in Nigeria has been popular for ages (especially among younger population) but actual steps in the direction of regulation and legalization occurred in the 1990s, when the government decriminalized some aspects of games of chance to gain new tax revenue.

The competent authority for licensing and supervising activities is the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC). The NLRC can issue three types of gambling licenses: (i) the Lottery License; (ii) online and offline sports betting licenses; and (iii) promotional permits. The application for a license consists of an application letter, a non-refundable application fee, a registry excerpt proving business incorporation and a detailed business plan or proposal of the proposed casino, its financial capability, and its technical structure.

Under the National Lottery Act 2005, the distinction was made between games of skill (legal) and games of chance (mostly illegal). Thus, forms of gambling which are permitted in the territory include the lottery,

DISCLAIMER: land-based casinos and sports betting, whereas roulette, dice games, and non-skilled card games are considered illegal. Slot machines are permitted but only in licensed premises.

As noted earlier, online gambling is not regulated and is considered illegal, and as such does not create any revenue for the treasury. At the same time, the government is not succeeding in preventing players from accessing global Internet casinos in the territory. It remains to be seen how soon new solutions will be implemented and what they will be. Bear in mind the size of the country itself and of the gambling market. In addition, the government is currently dealing with promoting responsible playing while not regulating (and taxing) a massive part of the gambling market.