Oyo set to ban unregistered promotional lotteries

Oyo state will enforce law to stop companies that engage in unregistered promotional lotteries in the state, says Director General, Oyo State Gaming Board.

The D.G, Oyo State Gaming Board, Mr. Olajide Boladuro, also warned Oyo state residents to beware of companies and organisations who were luring them with unrealistic gift offers in the name of promotional lotteries.

Mr. Olajide said this in Ibadan today at a media briefing to herald the annual interactive stakeholders forum of the board.

He said the challenge of unregistered promotional lotteries in the state had been on the rise lately due to the approaching end of the year realities.

He said, “It has been a challenge with some of the companies that engage in promotional lotteries. I don’t want to mention names, but they know themselves.

“We have written to all the companies and from our investigations around the state, we have given them warnings, we have written to them. We are not getting a lot of response.

“I want to use this press conference again to communicate to them, because the next thing that will follow the appeals to all this companies will be strict enforcement.

“We are going to lock up their gates. So, you cannot be bigger than the government. This is in our law. If you look at the Oyo State Gaming Law 2018, promotional lottery is embedded in our laws.

“Banks, telecoms that give announcements about what they can do on the recharge cards or whatever to their customers, are supposed to register with the Oyo State Gaming Board and there is a fee you pay for that registration for you to embark on those kinds of activities.

“After our stakeholders’ forum, there are plans in place, especially in this festive period to engage those companies that have not complied with our warnings for them to do the needful going by the law of the state.”

A lottery scam is a type of advance-fee fraud which begins with an unexpected email notification, phone call, or mailing (sometimes including a large check) explaining that “You have won!” a large sum of money in a lottery.