Private Lotto Businesses To Be Banned

Government has decided to abolish the involvement of the private sector in the lotto business due to their disappointing contribution to government revenue. As a follow-up measure, it is preparing to repeal the Lotteries Amendment Act of 1999, which established the private lottery business. Deputy Finance Minister, Grace Coleman says most of the private operators have been evading taxes and do not file their VAT returns.

Twenty-four out of the 60 private lotto operators in the country have no VAT files and this Mrs. Coleman says, is a very serious drain on the nation’s economy. She was particularly concerned about the fact that these lotto operators collect money from the average Ghanaian and yet do not pay taxes on their operations to support development projects.

The issue of unemployment that will be created as a result of the measure, will also be managed since government intends to absorb them into the Department of National Lotteries. The ban is expected to boost the lotto industry and improve government revenue generation.