Lawmakers Urge International Betting Companies to Pay Tax

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Governmental Affairs, Hon Akin Alabi, has posited that international betting companies operating in Nigeria have to pay tax to the government.

He stated this at a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to Repeal the National Lottery Act No 7, 2005 and the National Lottery (Amendment) Act No 6, 2017 and Enact the National Gaming Bill.

Alabi revealed that: “Foreign operators who have customers in Nigeria are not paying tax to the Nigerian authorities. Like one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, Bet365, anybody can go to Bet365 (online), register, fund it and start playing. So they are making money off Nigerians but they are not paying any kobo to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)”

He said there should be no quarrel over whether the gaming industry should be controlled by the federal or state governments, and urged all stakeholders to work together to make it work.

“We should not be fighting over who has control over it. We should be talking about how we can co-exist because whether you like it or not, no one can do without the other. The federal government cannot do it without the states and vice visa.

“I have worked as an operator, and now on the side of the government, so I know the in and out of the industry. I think all stakeholders should come together on how best to run this industry, and we can now back it with some legislation,” he said.

Alabi further said the National Gaming Bill seeks to overhaul completely the previous extant laws and provide for an Act that would fill previous inadequacies in the law and most importantly explore and exploit the full potential of the gaming industry which is one of the biggest industries with great prospects in Nigeria.

The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the bill is a crucial legislation deserving of thorough consideration, and urged the House to debate in the people’s best interests.

The Speaker, who was represented by the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon Peter Akpatason, said: “As legislators, we have a responsibility to meticulously review and examine every aspect of these bills to ensure that we produce a final output that is clear in its objectives, thoughtful in the mandates it imposes, and reflective of the best aspirations of all our citizens.”