Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has raised alarms about the growing issue of illegal lottery operations in Ghana.
In an August 8, 2024 interview with peacefmonline.com, Mr Awuku reported that the World Lottery Association estimates Ghana has approximately 680 illegal lottery operators.
He also revealed that while the country’s annual lottery revenue is estimated to be at least 1.8 billion cedis, these illegal operators divert around 1.2 billion cedis of this revenue each year.
Awuku pointed out that these unlawful operators are a major threat to the industry and urged them to legalize their operations.
“So, technically, the markets are for the illegal operators. Ghana will still move on when NPP is not in power and someday when NDC is not in power…But my point is the institution of state must be protected,” he noted.