BREAKING: Supreme Court nullifies National Lottery Act, grants states exclusive control

The Supreme Court has struck down the National Lottery Act of 2005, ruling that the National Assembly lacks the constitutional authority to legislate on lotteries and games of chance.

In a unanimous verdict delivered on Friday, a seven-member panel of justices determined that regulating lotteries falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of state Houses of Assembly.

Consequently, state governments now hold sole authority over lotteries and related activities within their boundaries.

Justice Mohammed Idris, who delivered the lead judgment, clarified that the National Lottery Act of 2005 will remain applicable only within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the National Assembly has legislative power.

The decision follows a 2008 lawsuit filed by Lagos State, joined later by Ekiti State in 2020, with the attorneys general of 34 other states added as defendants in 2022.

The plaintiffs argued that lottery regulation is not listed among the 68 exclusive items in Part 1 of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which define the legislative powers of the National Assembly.

They sought judicial confirmation that the National Assembly cannot lawfully regulate lotteries across the country.