The Kano State Hisbah Board has announced it will restart its crackdown on betting shops following a Supreme Court ruling on Friday, November 22, 2024, that overturned a 2005 law legalizing sports betting and gambling in Nigeria.
The Supreme Court ruled that state governments, not the federal government, have the authority to regulate gambling.
“We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano State Sharia law,” said Abba Sufi, Director General of the Hisbah Board, during an interview with AFP.
Last month, Hisbah officials raided and shut down dozens of betting shops in Kano, citing their promotion of gambling, which is prohibited under Islamic law. The raids were stopped after the National Lottery Commission argued that betting was allowed under federal law.
“With this verdict, the controversy on who should regulate gambling has been settled,” Sufi said. “We in Kano have frowned at the lottery law because it gave legal backing to gambling, which is clearly prohibited in Islam.”
According to Sufi, many parents in Kano complained about children being drawn into gambling because of their love for football teams.
“The harsh economic climate is pushing more people into this football gambling, hoping to make easy money and becoming hooked to the vice,” he explained.
Kano has about 200 betting shops where customers place bets on soccer matches and horse races, often watching the events on screens. Sydney Emeafu, head of the National Union of Gaming and Lottery Workers in Kano, noted the popularity of these shops.
