A subtle tussle has erupted between the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and the Alpha Lotto Company Limited as the former restricts the operations of the latter.
The NLA after ordering the company to limit itself to the terms of the licence given it by the Authority had to contend with a response from Alpha Company pointing out that it was not engaged in any act of illegality as the NLA indicated in its statement.
Alpha Lotto Limited according to the NLA was only licensed to operate lotto under the Veterans Administration Ghana Act 2012(Act 844) dated 1st day of July 2020 regulated by Act 722.
The NLA statement which triggered the tussle described some gaming activities as illegal, including the Alpha Lotto Limited’s something the latter is not in agreement with.
The NLA statement went on “Alpha Lotto Limited under the terms and conditions of the licence issued by NLA to the company has no right to operate its own games without authorisation from the NLA as the Regulator of the Lottery Industry.”
Continuing, the statement pointed out that “as it stands now, Alpha Lotto Limited has no approval from NLA to operate its own games. There are processes, procedures, criteria and requirements an operator must fulfill before it can operate its own games under strict compliance to the rules and regulations of the National Lottery Authority(NLA).”
Every licensed operator under Act 844,the statement went on, “is mandated to INTEGRATE its platform into the NLA’s platform for monitoring and supervision of their activities as part of the terms and conditions of the licence issued.”
This,the statement added, “would enable both parties to properly account for the Revenue Sharing Agreement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the licence issued to Alpha Lotto Limited and all lotto operators licensed by NLA under Act 844.”
Alpha Lotto Limited is seriously in breach of the terms and conditions of its licence under Act 844, according to NLA, stressing that“there is no where in the agreement that Alpha Lotto Limited can market its games through short code.”
As part of the agreement, terms and conditions of the licence issued under Act 844, a Draw Committee must be constituted by the NLA to monitor all Draws, the statement pointed out. “So far, no Draw Committee has been constituted by NLA to supervise the Draws of Alpha Lotto Limited.”
The NLA has therefore cautioned Alpha Lotto Limited “to operate within the terms and conditions of its licence issued under Act 844 and stop hiding behind its licence under Act 844 to operate illegal services as well as misinforming the general public.”
With the authority to issue gaming licences the NLA backed by law has the final say in the tussle.
Alpha Lotto has already issued a statement insisting that it is not part of the list of lottery operators being labelled by the NLA as illegal and said they have the right permit to operate.
