7 illegal lotto operators nabbed in Cape Coast

Seven illegal lotto operators have been arrested and arraigned before a court in the Central Regional capital of Cape Coast.

The arrest is part of the National Lottery Authority’s move to clamp down on illegal lotto operators in the country.

The Seven(7) persons arrested and made to face the law included the Operator of Lucky Star and 5 other accomplices and the Agent of Sikatuo Lotto.

They were charged under the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722) under Section 18(1) and (2) under the reading Prohibition about Coupons and Section 19 which relates to offenses about a coupon.

The seven in Cape Coast High court pleaded not guilty and were asked by the court to provide their license whiles the case was adjourned to February 10, 2022.

Speaking on the arrest, Public Relations Officer for the National Lottery Authority Goodfellow Dei Ofei said “ The NLA will not relent on our drive to clear illegal operators from the lottery industry, we have kept a human face to the whole exercise and have been extremely patient with these operators.

They were all over asking for more time to get licensed and we graciously granted the request by giving them a 7-day extension. I remember the difficult time my boss the Director-General Mr. Samuel Awuku had to go through convincing the Board to grant the extension.

These people are still bent on operating illegally. We will walk the talk and go after them, we will not end by arresting them but will prosecute them as we have done today”.

It could be remembered that the new management of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) ordered that all lotto operators need to be registered with the Authority and even gave an extension of the deadline date for all private operators to be registered.

“The National Lottery Authority (NLA) wishes to announce that following the incessant requests made by some Private Lotto Operators and other stakeholders, it is extending the closing date of the 2021/2022 licensing year from Thursday 16th December 2021 to Thursday 23rd December 2021.”

The licensing according to the Authority is to ensure that its activities are well regulated.

The Authority has since the deadline been clamping down on private operators who are not registered with it.