NLA eyes partnership with Scientific Games to boost Ghana's lottery industry

The National Lottery Authority (NLA) is on the verge of securing a transformative partnership with Scientific Games to solidify its position as a competitive global player in the lottery industry. This follows successful discussions between the Director-General, Mr. Samuel Awuku, and Scientific Games’ CEO, Mr. Patrick McHugh.

Established in 1973, Scientific Games prides itself on being an industry pioneer in data analytics, retail solutions, and iLottery. The company is renowned as a global leader in retail and digital products, technology, and services that drive profits for government-sponsored lottery and sports betting programs.

Scientific Games operates on six continents and aims to expand its presence in Africa. Therefore, Mr. Patrick McHugh, the CEO, invited Mr. Samuel Awuku, the Director-General of NLA, to their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss potential collaboration in developing the scratch lottery industry, introducing instant games, and raffle tickets to the Ghanaian market.

During the meeting, Mr. McHugh, accompanied by Mr. Nicholas Spahr, the Vice President of Strategy and Planning, expressed their interest in establishing a long-term partnership with NLA, focusing on responsible gaming practices and building trusted global brands.

"Scientific Games is committed to promoting education, diversity, and mental health through various social advocacy and outreach initiatives," he noted.

Samuel Awuku assured Scientific Games of NLA's willingness to support the introduction of innovative games, such as scratch cards and raffle tickets, to appeal to its customers, which are currently not part of the Authority’s offerings.

Additionally, Mr. Awuku suggested Ghana as a potential hub for developing instant games and proposed setting up a regional office to streamline logistics.

During his visit, Mr. Awuku toured Scientific Games’ production facilities, witnessing the printing of an impressive 25 billion tickets annually and a minimum of 10 million packs monthly.

The company develops 2,000 games per year and holds a 70% share of the global market for instant games and scratch lottery, recognized by the World Lottery Association (WLA) as a premier company in the sector.

Excited about the partnership, Mr. Awuku looks forward to attracting more foreign partners to NLA in the future.