Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has announced the ban on betting institutions like Bet9ja, NairaBet, among others over alleged dark deals across the state
He made this announcement on Friday October 21, 2022 while also banning gambling in casinos in the state.
The notification of the prohibition is contained in a statement co-signed by the Commissioner for Homeland Affairs, Chikodi Anara, the Chairman of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Richard Madiebo, and the Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment, and Tourism, Donatus Onyenji.
The statement claimed that the prohibition is a response to a troubling amount of petitions that the government recently received over the manipulation of gaming machines and non-transparency in winnings’ payments.
It said that the accusations amounted to grave violations of the sector’s international best practices, which the administration, led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, would not tolerate.
The statement partly read, “This fraudulent practice will not be allowed to thrive under the watch of Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s administration and therefore must be dealt with immediately.
“Consequently, the Anambra government hereby directs operators of casino games in hotels, restaurants, and bars to suspend all gaming and casino operations with immediate effect pending the conclusion of investigations.”
The action by the state governor, which has seen the ban on mini-skirts use in public and private schools and now on betting and all kinds of gambling, has been described by many as signs of a reformed state coming “from the least expected region”.
The two areas of ban that the governor has effected so far, those who spoke about them said, are two social vices that take part in the destruction of virile Nigerian society, thanking the governor for taking the bold steps, leading the way in what they called “reforming Nigeria”.
Soludo had announced a ban on use of miniskirts by school girls in public and private schools in the state on Monday, September 19, 2022.
