Minister Calls for Sports betting Ban in Ghana

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ejumako, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, called for a ban on sports betting in Ghana; he based his view on gambling addiction. Forson claims the activity is destroying Ghanaian youth and must be restricted rather than taxing the gaming industry.

Though responding to this call, the head of the Ghana Gaming Commission (GGC), Mr. Mereku, said there are regulations on betting in the country; hence it will be difficult to be banned.
The MP, in his speech, said,

“Ghana today we are complaining that this gambling is destroying our youth. I have read several articles on this. I would have thought the government would come out with a policy to restrict gambling and even ban it,” he said.

But the CEO, Mr. Mireku, says that the gaming community generates millions in revenue for the government. “This fund is contributed into the consolidated account for development,” he disclosed. The Gaming Commission head notwithstanding Peter agrees that the way forward for sports betting in Ghana is to introduce robust regulations that will protect stakeholders and generate more revenue for the government. The sector needs to adopt technology and innovations to make this possible; Peter revealed the Commission is in the process of hooking betting companies onto a singular platform.

“This way, we can keenly monitor their activities and make sure they comply to regulations to the latter“. Peter Mireku shares his professional opinion on the subject during a local interview. The government, in its 2021 budget presented to parliament, estimated an annual revenue loss of over GHS 300 million due to leakages in the gaming industry.

Meanwhile, Ghana, the West Africa nation, has a population of over 31 million people. The sports betting industry has been experiencing unprecedented growth over the last couple of years. The market has attracted several international companies and locals to tap into the abundance of opportunities the market possesses. Therefore, every passing year, the market experienced a new entrant of bookmakers makes it one of Africa’s following big markets. But still, the lottery sector is one of the biggest and the sports betting market as its fair share, which is primarily embraced by the youths.

However, all forms of gambling are legal in Ghana and are being regulated by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and Gaming Commission of Ghana (GCG). The Lotteries Betting Act 1960 was the first legislation passed to allow all forms of gambling in Ghana, and in 1975 there was the Casino Licensing Act. The recent legislation was The Gaming Act of 2006 that formed the (GCG) formerly under the hospices of the Ministry of Interior. The act issued allows the board to regulate and issuance a gaming license for sports betting and casino for both online and retail and also advising the government of new developments except for the lottery sector.

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Adeleye Awakan

Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.

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Adeleye Awakan

Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.