Ghana’s lottery sector might generate more than GH¢2 billion (US$172 million) yearly if President John Dramani Mahama’s proposed reforms are completely implemented, according to Mohammed Abdul-Salam, Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA).
The plans include centralised oversight of private lotto operators, improved revenue verification and a review of commercial agreements in order to boost states’ profits. The proposed platform would give the authority direct access to sales, winnings and service-payment information across licensed operations.
The projection comes after the NLA issued the Ministry of Finance a GH¢10 million (US$860,000) dividend for the Consolidated Fund on October 2. After a few years, the payment marked the start of dividend contributions. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson disclosed that the government was working with the authority and the Attorney-General to review agreements affecting its revenue position following the NLA’s GH¢10 million dividend.
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Abdul-Salam described how the NLA’s control over private lottery operators would be altered by the proposed approach. He said, “We would see how many sales you have made, how much in winnings you have paid and how much you have paid for services, and what the 20 per cent share to the NLA should be, even before you come with your statement to prove it.”
Additionally, Abdul-Salam emphasised how important independent revenue assurance is to strengthening the authority’s regulatory oversight. He added, “As a regulator with an independent revenue assurance (mechanism), we would have had it (lotto sales) firsthand. And we would have programmed punitive measures if you were to report false data.”
The proposed monitoring system would encompass a variety of sales channels, such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, internet platforms, and USSD. According to Abdul-Salam, the authority had asked the Ministry of Finance for commitment authorisation in order to implement a revenue assurance system that would do away with paper-based lottery sales.
The payments from private operators are shown in the NLA’s 2025 figures. The authority received GH¢173 million (US$14.9 million) from KGL Technology throughout the year, while a total of GH¢44.9 million (US$3.9 million) came from 29 other private lottery operators.
The NLA’s reform programme includes reviewing revenue-sharing arrangements with private operators, introducing an open and competitive licensing framework to address exclusivity, and implementing independent, real-time revenue monitoring across licensed operations.
