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Sector licencesGamingNigeria

Obtain a sports-betting / gaming licence (state)

License a betting or lottery business. Since the Supreme Court's November 2024 judgment nullified federal jurisdiction over games of chance, licences are issued by the STATE regulator (e.g. Lagos LSLGA) for each state of operation: incorporate with ₦20m share capital → apply → Approval-in-Principle (90 days) → grant of licence + revenue levy.

Procedure
4steps
Coordination
4agencies
Category
Sector licencesGaming
Task links

Go to the exact next page

Application, requirements, forms, fees, and tracking are labelled separately.

Apply onlineOpen the State gaming regulator (e.g. Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority) application serviceState gaming regulator (e.g. Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority) · lslga.org
Routing map

Who you will deal with

State gaming regulator (e.g. Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority)CAC; state regulatorLagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority (LSLGA)LSLGA
Procedure

The steps, in order

Each route below is scoped to the step it can actually complete.

  1. 01

    License at STATE, not federal, level

    Agency
    State gaming regulator (e.g. Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority)
    What is required
    The Supreme Court's November 2024 judgment nullified the National Lottery Act 2005 and held that games of chance fall exclusively to State Houses of Assembly. Operators now obtain a licence from each state in which they operate; the National Lottery Regulatory Commission no longer licenses operators nationally.
    Documents
    Determination of states of operation
    Typical timeline
    Precondition
    Use for this step
  2. 02

    Incorporate and meet the share-capital floor

    Agency
    CAC; state regulator
    What is required
    Incorporate under CAMA 2020 with a minimum share capital of ₦20,000,000, with gaming/betting in the object clause. In a foreign-owned company, Nigerians must hold at least 15% of the shares.
    Documents
    CIC; MEMART (gaming object clause); ₦20m share capital; >=15% Nigerian shareholding
    Typical timeline
    Weeks
    Use for this step
  3. 03

    Application and Approval-in-Principle

    Agency
    Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority (LSLGA)
    What is required
    Three stages: application, approval-in-principle, and grant. In Lagos the application fee is ₦1,000,000. The regulator needs 10-15 working days for due diligence; an Approval in Principle valid for 90 days is granted where pre-approval requirements are met (technical platform, servers, responsible-gaming and AML controls).
    Documents
    Application fee ₦1m; due-diligence pack; platform certification
    Typical timeline
    AIP in ~10-15 working days; valid 90 days
    Use for this step
  4. 04

    Grant of licence, fees and levy

    Agency
    LSLGA
    What is required
    On satisfying the AIP conditions, pay the licence fee of ₦100,000,000 and receive the licence; annual renewal is ₦50,000,000. Licensees also remit a 2.5% levy on sales revenue.
    Documents
    Licence fee ₦100m; renewal ₦50m/yr; 2.5% revenue levy
    Typical timeline
    On grant
    Use for this step
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