NLA staff petition govt over alleged ‘private capture’ of national lottery

Staff of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), through their union — the Financial and Business Services Employees Union (FBSEU of NLA) — are demanding urgent intervention from the government over what they describe as a “deliberate private capture” of the state-owned lottery business through questionable third-party contracts and licenses.

In a petition addressed to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, as well as the newly appointed Director General of the NLA, the union called for an immediate suspension and review of all third-party contracts and licenses granted to Private Lotto Operators (PLOs) over the last six years.

According to the union, these agreements violate the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), and have plunged the once-thriving Authority into financial distress and operational inefficiency.

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 further reveals that the previous NLA Board granted KGL an exclusive 25-year license to operate online lotto, a decision they say is both shocking and damaging to the Authority’s independence and viability.

Other companies cited in the petition include Bluestar Lotto, Alpha Lotto, and Luma Technologies, whom the union claims were falsely presented as technical service providers but were instead given licenses to operate as PLOs. This, they say, has left the NLA with obsolete infrastructure and has driven away long-serving LMCs.

The union warns that unless 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.