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The Ghana Private Lotto Operators Association who claimed to have 1.5 million subscribers has threatened to send back the Nana Akufo-Addo–led government to opposition if they fail to address some “serious” issues at the National Lottery Authority [NLA].

The association together with the Concerned Lotto Agents and Writers' Association have accused the NLA of “illegally” collecting huge sum of monies from them to license their operations to operate Banker–to-Banker lotto using numbers drawn by NLA.

According to the association, "GHc 1million each paid by the 24 operators to operate nationwide; GHc 180.00 each, for Lotto Writers nationwide; and GHc 5, 000 each for Lotto Agents nationwide. In addition, Operators who intend to operate nationwide have each provided GHc 5 million bank/insurance guarantee to the NLA.”

Even though payments have been done to the NLA for close to two years – the private operators are yet to be certified to operate the VAG lotto under act 844 of their law.

This has angered leadership of the private lotto association during a press briefing in Accra, Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Addressing the press, Lawyer for the association, Dr Ato Kondua emphatically stated that if government look unconcerned to the “fraudulent” operations at the NLA, his clients will be forced to send back the NPP to opposition.

“All the operators have family members and we have at least 1.5 million people under this association. 2020 is just around so if they want to go back to opposition, then they should look unconcerned,” he said. 

According to him, the NLA has created “An unjustified monopoly for lotto operations in Ghana seeking to bankrupt private sector lotto operators by surreptitiously using illegal ‘bully-boy’ tactics to frustrate, bankrupt and seize private operators’ machines and platforms acquired under the license for VAG lotto operations in Ghana.”

He also alleged that the NLA is subjugating all private lotto operators to become “lotto marketing licensees” – a move he said “will not work”.

However, the NLA in a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com is set to license all illegal lotto operators who have paid up the prescribed fees to the Authority.

Read below NLA’s statement

The National Lottery Authority wishes to inform members of the general public and all illegal Lotto Operators in particular that the Authority has completed the Registration and Licensing Processes for all illegal Lotto Operators who have paid up the prescribed fees to the Authority to be issued with licenses to retail lotto products in Ghana.

In view of this, the National Lottery Authority hereby direct all  illegal Lotto Operators who have applied and paid up the prescribed fees to pick up and execute copies of the Lotto Retail Licensing Agreement from the Head Office of the National Lottery Authority within seven(7) days from the date of this publication.

Thereafter, the National Lottery Authority shall close the licensing window for illegal Lotto Operators for the year 2018/2019, and the Authority will refund all monies paid by illegal Lotto Operators who were not qualified as well as those who were unable to execute the Lotto Retail Licensing Agreement within the said seven(7) days.

The National Lottery Authority wishes to state that, it is unlawful under Act 722 and L.I. 1948 to manufacture, distribute, sell or retail Lotto products and services without authorization from the National Lottery Authority. 

Accordingly, all those engaged in illegal lottery operations will be arraigned before any of the eleven lotto courts inaugurated across the Country aimed at facilitating compliance and prosecution of lotto-related offences.

The National Lottery Authority is committed to sanitizing the Lotto Industry in Ghana and it shall deploy all lawful means to oust the operations of unauthorized or unlicensed Lotto Operators in the Country with the view of jobs creation and mobilizing additional  revenue to support national development.