Nigeria’s Senate passes Central Gaming Bill 2025, paving way for repeal of National Lottery Acts

Nigeria’s Senate has approved the Central Gaming Bill 2025 on third reading, sending the controversial federal framework for online and remote gaming to President Bola Tinubu for assent and setting the stage for the repeal of the National Lottery Acts of 2005 and 2017.

Nigeria’s Central Gaming Bill 2025 has cleared a key hurdle after the Senate examined the text for the third time and passed it, in what lawmakers described as a “historic” milestone for the country’s gambling legislation. The bill, tabled by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, now awaits formal transmission to President Bola Tinubu, who will decide whether to sign it into law.

If enacted, the Central Gaming Bill will repeal the National Lottery Act Number Seven of 2005 and the National Lottery Amendment Act Number Six of 2017, replacing them with a single framework that regulates “the operation and business of all forms of online and remote gaming across the geographical boundaries of the federation units and beyond the borders of Nigeria”, as Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin stated during the plenary. The bill also provides an explicit legal basis for federal regulation of gaming in the Federal Capital Territory and aims to streamline revenue collection and compliance.

Supporters of the bill argue that it will modernise Nigeria’s fragmented gambling laws, create a uniform national approach to online betting and iGaming, and strengthen consumer protection in a fast-growing digital market. However, state regulators and legal experts have warned that the text may conflict with a 2024 Supreme Court ruling which held that lotteries and games of chance fall under state jurisdiction outside the FCT, raising the prospect of constitutional challenges even if President Tinubu gives his assent.

For now, the industry is watching closely: a presidential signature would trigger a shift from the existing lottery-based regime to a central gaming framework, with significant implications for licensing structures, tax flows and the balance of power between federal and state regulators.