The Anambra State government has clarified the reasons why it suspended all betting outfits in hotels, restaurants, and bars in the state.

The government said the suspension became necessary following alleged fraudulent activities perpetrated in the centres, adding that it has not banned the operations of Bet9ja and other betting outfits in the state. This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by the trio of commissioners for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Homeland Affairs, and the Chairman of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Don Onyenji, Chikodi Anara, and Richard Madiebo, respectively.

The statement accused operators of casino games machines and owners of hotels and bars of non-transparency in the payment of game winnings, which it said were serious violations. The statement read in part: “The Ministry of Culture, Entertainment and Tourism are in receipt of several petitions for manipulations of casino game machines and non-transparency in payment for game-winning which are serious abuses of global best practices. “Consequently, the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, AIRS and Ministry of Homeland Affairs hereby direct operators of casino games in hotels, restaurants and bars to suspend all game and casino operations with immediate effect pending the conclusion of investigations.”

Ada Peter