Employees of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), represented by their union, the Financial and Business Services Employees Union (FBSEU of NLA), are urgently calling on the government to intervene. They are raising concerns about what they perceive as a deliberate attempt to privately capture the state-owned lottery business through questionable third-party contracts and licenses.
In a petition to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, as well as the newly appointed Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), the union requested an immediate suspension and review of all third-party contracts and licenses granted to Private Lotto Operators (PLOs) over the past six years. The union argues that these agreements violate the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), and have caused significant financial distress and operational inefficiency for the once-thriving authority.
The petition highlights a significant decline in NLA’s revenue, particularly from its Point of Sale Terminals (POSTs), since the entry of Private Lotto Operators. The union estimates a market share loss of nearly 50% to online platforms and PLOs, amounting to over GH₵250 million in revenue shortfalls between 2017 and 2024. This decline, they argue, has triggered widespread job losses among Lotto Marketing Companies (LMCs) who have traditionally supported NLA’s operations.
At the centre of the controversy is KEED Ghana Limited (KGL), operators of the NLA’s 5/90 games online. The union accuses KGL of operating contrary to the functions of a Lotto Marketing Company as defined by Act 722 — including keeping lottery proceeds in private accounts, paying winnings independently, and withholding critical revenue data from the NLA.
The union has revealed that the previous National Lottery Authority (NLA) Board granted KGL an exclusive 25-year license to operate an online lottery. They describe this decision as both shocking and detrimental to the Authority’s independence and viability. The petition also mentions other companies, including Bluestar Lotto, Alpha Lotto, and Luma Technologies, which the union claims were misrepresented as technical service providers. Instead, these companies were granted licenses to operate as Private Lotto Operators (PLOs). This situation has left the NLA with outdated infrastructure and has driven away many long-serving Licensed Marketing Companies (LMCs).
The union warns that unless the government acts swiftly, including the reconstitution of a new Governing Board with individuals possessing institutional memory, the NLA risks total collapse. They assert that they “will stop at nothing” to ensure the sustainability of the NLA for national development and staff welfare, including staging protests or halting lotto draws if necessary.
By: William Narh
