- The court quashed a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling.
- The court ruled that gambling regulation is a matter for state governments.
- Kano State uses Islamic sharia law alongside federal law.
- Betting is considered illegal under Kano state sharia law.
- The Kano Hisbah is set to resume their crackdown on betting shops.
- The Hisbah had previously raided and closed dozens of football betting shops across the city.
- The Hisbah is concerned that the harsh economic climate is pushing more people into football gambling.
- There are approximately 200 betting shops across the city.
Islamic morality police in Kano, Nigeria, are set to resume their crackdown on betting shops following a recent Nigerian Supreme Court ruling on gambling. The court quashed a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling, ruling that gambling regulation is a matter for state governments .
Kano State, being one of the 12 predominantly Muslim Nigerian states, uses Islamic sharia law alongside federal law. As a result, betting is considered illegal under Kano state sharia law. Abba Sufi, director general of the Kano Hisbah, stated that they will resume their clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination .
The Hisbah had previously raided and closed dozens of football betting shops across the city, citing that they were promoting gambling, which is prohibited under sharia. However, the raids were halted after the National Lottery Commission protested that betting on football was legal under Nigerian federal law .
With the recent court ruling, the controversy over who should be in charge of lottery legislation between the federal government and state governments has been settled. The Kano Hisbah is determined to enforce sharia law and prohibit gambling in the state .
There are approximately 200 betting shops across the city, with customers watching international soccer matches and horse races and placing bets. However, the Hisbah is concerned that the harsh economic climate is pushing more people into football gambling, hoping to make easy money and becoming hooked on the vice .
