28th June, 2010
The Lagos State Lottery Board has warned Lagosians to desist from patronising lottery operators who use manual lottery, otherwise known as coupon paper, or risk one year imprisonment.
The Chief Executive Officer of the board, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, who spoke in Lagos, Nigeria, said such exercise violated the law setting up the board.
According to him, by provision of section 13 of the Lagos State Lotteries Law, those operating with the terminal are the legal ones approved by the state government.
Gbajabiamila described people engaging in manual lottery as economic saboteurs and vowed that anyone caught would be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
He noted that the lottery board, in collaboration with the state special taskforce, would not relent in sanitising the industry by flushing out illegal operators.
In recent time, two people were found guilty of operating lottery illegally and were sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Special Offences Court, Alausa.
Over 30 cases are currently being prosecuted in the law court by the board.