Governing Board of National Lotto Authority sworn-in

Accra, Aug. 13, GNA - Government on Monday swore-in a seven-member governing board of the National Lotto Authority (NLA), under the new national lotto Act (Act 722) as the only body to conduct the business of lotteries.

The Board is charged to regulate, supervise and manage national lotto as well as ensure the enforcement of laws relating to national lotto in a manner that would promote a win-win situation for all stakeholders in the industry.

Swearing in the members on behalf of President John Agyekum Kufuor, Dr. Anthony Akoto-Osei, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning charged the board to ensure that the revenue target of 100 billion cedis as dividend set in the 2007 was met. Besides, he said, the board was expected to work with all stakeholders to ensure that this new arrangement resulted in the creation of additional employment and assured that no one currently employed in the industry loses his or her job during the implementation of the law.

Dr Akoto-Osei said experiences had shown that the operation of lottery worked well in the hands of a single authority hence the reversion of the privatization to the state operate monopoly. He said, "For a long time the state-operated monopoly served this country well, and contributed substantial revenue to the state.

"By 1974, proceeds from the Department of national Lotteries (DNL) accounted for about 14 per cent to non-tax revenue to the state. Dr. Atoko-Osei noted that when in 1989 PNDCL 233 introduced private lottery operation with the sole objective of raising revenue, it did not materialize since by 1998 transfer to government amounted to only 850, million cedis which is 0.19 per cent of the non-tax revenue. Under the new Act, the board should license all lotto-marketing companies for the distribution and sale of coupons and for other purposes that it considered appropriate.

The authority shall be the only body to issue coupons both manual and electronic for lotto, which meant that no person shall import, sell, distribute or acquire for the purpose of sale any foreign lotto coupon. Mrs Janet Opoku Acheampong, former Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service, who is the chair of the board expressed gratitude to the President for their appointments and gave the assurance that the board would meet the 100 billion cedis target.

She said the body would initiate strategies that would ensure that introduction of exciting games such as television and telephone products.

She called on all private lotto operators to formally register with the NLA.

Other members of the board are, Mr Kojo Andah, Director General of the NLA, Mr Enoch Hemans Cobbinah, of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Mumuni Abdulai Bawumia of the Ministry of the Interior, Ms Cynthia Lamptey of the Attorney Generals Department, Ms Doris Seidu, Member of Parliament, Chereponi and Mr Kwadjo Opare Hammond, Member of Parliament for Adenta.