The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, while addressing stakeholders and participants at the 2026 European Lotteries (EL) Industry Days held in Morocco, stated that the State is losing more than GHS 1 billion in revenue annually to illegal lottery operations, highlighting the growing threat posed by the activities of illegal lottery operators and agents, popularly known as Banker-to-Banker (B2B) lotto operators.
According to Mr. Abdul-Salam, the proliferation of unregulated and unauthorised lottery operations has been undermining the revenue mobilisation efforts of the National Lottery Authority, depriving the State of significant income that could support national development initiatives.
Speaking on the topic, “The Fight Against Illegal Gambling as a Significant and Growing Issue in Africa,” Mr. Abdul-Salam stated that Ghana loses over GHS 1 billion in revenue each year to illegal lottery activities, equivalent to about US$85 million.
On measures to curb the menace in Ghana, Mr. Abdul-Salam listed the use of technology and digitalisation to combat the activities of scammers and illegal lottery operators.
The NLA-KGL deal has been one of the most effective technology and digitalisation strategies the State, on behalf of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), has used to combat illegal lottery operations as well as scammers in the lottery industry.
There is still more work to be done to further reduce the annual loss of GHS 1 billion to illegal lottery operations. To achieve this objective, the NLA-KGL deal should be fully supported by the Government and stakeholders to completely eradicate the activities of illegal operators and scammers from the lottery industry.
The 2026 EL Industry Days, held under the theme, “Lotteries Bridging Continents,” aim to foster meaningful collaboration between Europe and Africa by sharing best practices on opportunities and challenges in the gaming industry, identifying mutual priorities, exchanging strategies for addressing illegal practices, and reaffirming national lotteries as catalysts for advancing society.
The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has been an Observer Member of the European Lotteries since June 2024.
