The National Lotteries Authority (NLA) has chickened out of a suite it filed against the Gaming Commission of Ghana seeking to bar the commission and two of its officials, Rex Peter Yeboah and Kofi Ahinkorah, from issuing permits to organizations to organize games of chance, and from supervising such games of chance.

The NLA initially sued both Vodafone and the Gaming Commission seeking to stop Vodafone from going ahead with their More Money promotion, which the Gaming Commission permitted, and to nullify the powers of the Commission to issue that permit.

The case was first heard on Thursday, August 11, 2011, adjourned to Monday August 15, 2011 where NLA made a failed attempt to reach an amicable out of court settlement with Vodafone.

Vodafone insisted there was no ground for such a settlement since they were convinced they organized the More Money game in accordance with the Gaming Act, Act 721, 2006.

The case was again adjourned to Wednesday, August 17, 2011, but when the officials of the Gaming Commission showed up in court, they were told the NLA had decided to let the Commission and its officials out of the case for the NLA to deal with Vodafone alone.

The officials of the Gaming Commission told Adom News they were not given any reason for being let out of the case, adding that it was important for the case the NLA brought against the Commission to be determined because that would have implications for the Vodafone case and other such cases now and in the future.

Officials of the Gaming Commission said the NLA pulled a similar game in a case it brought against the Gaming Commission regarding MTN in November last year, but the NLA was asked to compensate the Commission for wasting its time.

The Gaming Commission has therefore indicated it would not allow a discontinuation of the case NLA brought against it this time, and would resume trial when the legal year begins in October, 2011.

Meanwhile the Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Dennis Adjei granted a conditional injunction to NLA on Vodafone’s More Money game, but asked NLA to give an undertaking in 21 days and agree to pay Vodafone GHC830,000 compensation if NLA lost the actual case.

But legal counsel for the NLA, Mr. Kojo Graham has been telling the public through some media that NLA had secured an injunction against Vodafone, without stating the conditions attached to the injunction.

Story by: Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana