Court bars 23 lottery firms from selling Ghana Games in Nigeria

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Court bars 23 lottery firms from selling Ghana Games in Nigeria

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday granted interlocutory orders restraining Premier Lotto Limited and 22 other lottery outfits in Nigeria from operating and using Ghana Games lottery products.

The court also restrained the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) from revoking the operational licence of Western Lotto Limited, or take any step to stop the company from operating the Ghana Games products.

The court, presided by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, also made an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Registrar of Trade Marks, its agents, servants and privies, from registering for Premier Lotto Limited and others any lotto games that have Ghana Games Lotto products.

The court also granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Premier Lotto and others, “and all members of the class of persons represented by the defendants whether acting by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or assigns, including their super agents, principal agents or sub agents from using the trade names and trademarks that are associated with the Ghana Games lottery products, including Monday Special Lotto, Lucky Tuesday Lotto, Midweek Lotto, Fortune Lotto, Friday Bonanza Lotto, Saturday National Lotto, VAG Lotto and Super 6 Lotto in Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

The court further restrained the defendants from passing off their own lottery products/games as Ghana Games lottery products through the sale and distribution of the Ghana Games and the use of the draw numbers of the Ghana National Lottery Authority (NLA).

Others restrained by the court’s interlocutory injunction alongside Premier Lotto Limited are: Secure Electronic Technology Limited; Richwell Plaza Limited; Peoples Empowerment Lottery Limited; Gab Lotto Limited; Payday Lotteries Limited and R&S Lotto Limited; Capstar Entertainment International Limited.

Others include: Winners Golden Chance Lotto; EG&H Integrated Concepts Limited; Global Lottery Limited; Fortune Games Limited, EMI Systems Limited; Mobile Lottery Nigeria Limited; Wesco Pools and Lottery Limited; Give and Take Lottery and Brentwood Multiservices Global Limited; International Lottery and Gaming Limited; Winlot Global Resources Limited; Lottomania Nigeria Limited; Derby Lotto Limited; K.C. Lottery Company Limited and K.C. Gaming Networks Limited.

Justice Aneke, however, refused Western Lotto Nigeria Limited’s request to destroy all the products, equipment and games of the firms offering lottery products styled the Ghana games products – in breach of Western Lotto Nigeria Limited’s exclusive rights to use the trade names and trademarks associated with the Ghana Games Lotto products.

The judge gave the orders after dismissing several preliminary objections filed by 25 respondents in the suit.

The respondents in their various preliminary objections have asked the court to decline jurisdiction on the matter as well as strike out Western Lotto Nigeria Limited’s suit against them for been incompetent.