If you place bets by USSD code, SMS, a short code or airtime in Lagos, some of those services could be switched off by mid-November. The Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) has given phone networks and value-added service companies 30 days to check that every betting company on their platforms holds a Lagos betting licence, and to suspend the ones that do not.
The short version
A public notice from the LSLGA, dated 12 October 2026, tells telecom operators and the companies that run USSD, SMS and short code services to verify the licences and tax records of every gaming operator they carry. Unlicensed services must be suspended, and no new unlicensed operator can be added.
- The 30-day window runs from 12 October, which puts the deadline at about 11 November 2026.
- The notice covers USSD, SMS, short codes, mobile apps, carrier billing (paying with airtime) and other value-added services.
- It says an NCC licence for telecom or value-added services is not a licence to offer betting in Lagos.
- Networks must also hand over transaction and revenue records going back to 22 November 2024, so unpaid gaming taxes can be worked out.
- You can check whether a betting company is licensed on the LSLGA’s public register before you fund an account.
The upshot: betting through your phone network has been a grey area, because the network carried the service but the state licensed the betting. Lagos is now putting the networks on the hook. If a service you use is unlicensed, it may stop working through your line, and a licensed company is the one you can complain to if your money gets stuck.
What the Lagos betting licence notice asks phone networks to do
The notice is addressed to telecom operators, mobile network operators, licensed value-added service aggregators and VAS providers that carry lottery, betting or gaming in Lagos State. Within 30 days they must:
- Check the licence and gaming tax status of every gaming operator on their platforms.
- Hand over transaction, carrier billing and revenue-share records for each gaming service from 22 November 2024 to the date of the notice.
- Stop onboarding any operator that cannot show a valid Lagos licence.
- Suspend any existing gaming service that is not licensed.
After the 30 days, the authority says it will issue statutory notices and take enforcement action against unlicensed operators and anyone who helps them. The notice also points to a section of the Lagos gaming law that can make company directors personally liable when their company commits an offence through their consent or neglect.
Why Lagos says it can do this
The notice rests on the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority Law 2021 and on a Supreme Court judgment of 22 November 2024, which held that lotteries and games of chance fall under state law, not federal law. That is also why the records request starts on 22 November 2024.
The notice makes one point plainly: a Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) licence to run telecom or value-added services does not give anyone permission to offer betting in Lagos. Using a phone network, an aggregator or a payment channel as a middleman does not change that.
Regulation of betting is still argued over in Nigeria. Lagos has opposed a proposed federal Central Gaming Bill, saying it conflicts with the Supreme Court ruling. Any federal response to this notice would be worth watching.
How to check if a betting company is licensed in Lagos
The LSLGA publishes a register of licensed operators and a list of operators it says are unlicensed. Its licence check page explains the steps:
- Open the list of licensed operators on lslga.org and find the company by name. The register shows the licence category, such as sports betting or lottery.
- Check the licence expiry date. An operator whose licence has expired is not authorised until it renews.
- Look at the authority’s illegal operators list as well.
- Report a company you think is unlicensed through the contact page on the same site.
Do this before you add money to a new betting wallet, not after. If a service is cut off later, getting a balance back from an unlicensed company is much harder.
Watch out for fake “licence” messages
Rule changes like this tend to bring scam texts and WhatsApp messages. A made-up example of the kind to expect: “Your betting account will be blocked under the new Lagos rules. Pay ₦2,000 to verify it today.” Players do not need to verify anything with the regulator, and the notice puts the work on networks and operators, not customers. Treat any message asking you to pay or share a PIN to keep your account as a scam. Our roundup of online scams in Nigeria this year shows how these scripts usually look.
What we don’t know yet
We found the notice as a public notice dated 12 October 2026; it was not yet on the LSLGA website when we checked on 17 October. The networks have not said which services, if any, they will suspend. The notice does not say what happens to money players hold with an operator that gets cut off, and the NCC has not commented publicly.
The date to watch is about 11 November, when the 30 days run out. If your line suddenly stops responding to a betting short code after that, the operator’s licence status is the first thing to check. For other ways your network can owe you, see our guide to network outage compensation in Nigeria.
