‘Lagos Loses Millions In Pools’

The Lagos State Pools Agents Association has revealed that the Lagos State government is  losing millions of naira in pools business in the state.

President of the association, Major Sammy Ogunyebo (retd.) told P.M.NEWS that the government  of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola can generate  revenue from a sanitised pools business in the  state but with the prevailing problems confront the operators of the business, government is  losing a lot of money.

“The government can make a lot of money from pools business even more that it is raking in  from lotto,” said the retired military officer, who is leading over 20,000 pools agents  across the state to inject sanity into the once lucrative pools business.

“Pools promoters ought to be pay weekly taxes to the government and annual renewal licence  fees. To the best of my knowledge, the promoters are grossly undertaxed, while what they are  paying weekly and annually are not commensurate with what they are making from the  business,” he said.

“I like what the government did to reorganise lotto and I want a similar situation to happen  in pools business as well. If the promoters pay what is due to the government as and when  due, the authority will not only get more revenue from the business, it will also help curb  the high commission and other atrocities perpetrated by the  promoters.

According to the LASPAA’s president, what the association wants is for the government to  update existing edicts on pools and overhaul the industry before some external forces that  want the business to collapse have their way.

“I want Mr. Ade Ipaye, Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue to the governor and Alhaji  Olanrewaju Babalola, the Chief of Staff to Fashola to look into the relevant sections of the  edict on pools. I want the law to be updated to the reality we are facing today so that we  can all join hands to sanitise the business now before it is too late,” he said.