Awuku pulls world lottery gurus to Ghana for NLA @ 60

Ghana is receiving a global attention from the Lottery fraternity around the world as the country climaxes the 60th anniversary celebrations of its National Lottery Authority (NLA), this week.

Ahead of the anniversary climax, slated from the 7th to the 10th of December, the Authority will today receive the World Lottery Association President, Rebecca Paul an American and General Secretary Lynne Roiter a Canadian for the first time in Ghana.

Director-General of the NLA, Sammi Awuku, has confirmed Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo will grace the Grand Durbar of the 60th Anniversary as Special Guest of Honour on Friday 9th December at 4:00 p.m. at the NLA Head Office in Accra.

Rebecca Paul the first woman to be elected for the coveted Position of President for the World Lottery Association has also been re elected for a second two years term.

Rebecca Paul has also been instrumental in leading many reforms and championing Good Causes across the various Lottery Bodies.

Together with the experienced General Secretary, Lynne Roiter and other top Executives of the World Lottery Body will also be participating in the Seminar on Responsible Gaming, being organized by the African Lotteries Association and hosted by the National Lottery Authority of Ghana.

The event itself will bring together about 15 African Countries, Director Generals and several Experts in the Lottery industry across the Globe.

The African Lotteries President , Mr. Dramane Coulibaly from Ivory Coast and Younnes El- Mechrafi General Secretary of ALA and also Vice President of the WLA will also be present .

Mr. Awuku, who recently returned from the World Lottery Summit held at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada said though the NLA chalked 60 September 29, 2022, the actual anniversary celebrations would be in December and would be attended by both Rebecca Paul and Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo.

Ghana’s NLA was highly commended at the World Lottery Summit for responsible gaming and pragmatic steps against illegal lottery.

Ghana’s NLA has been spearheading a war against illegal lottery activities and adopted new creative measures put in place by the current Director-General, Sammi Awuku.

HISTORY

The NLA was originally established as the Department of National Lotteries in 1958 with a Mandate to organize raffles for the public to have fun and win prizes. In 1960, the Lotto and Betting Act 94 was passed into law to start a lottery in Ghana with the aim of raising revenue to support the development of the country.

Over the past fifty years, the NLA has evolved from its earlier incarnation as a Civil Service Institution known as the Department of National Lotteries (DNL); it has been transformed into an autonomous Public Service Institution, with a legal monopoly on the organization of lotteries in Ghana, and one which is of the most important contributors to both Government revenues and employment generation.

Hence, in 2006, the passing of an Act of parliament, the National Lotto Act 722 gave birth to National Lottery Authority.