Lotto operators are crying over the continuous demonization of their trade by Pastors.
According to them, many people are shying away from staking lotto due to the numerous sermons attacking the trade.
They have therefore urged the Ghana Lotteries Authority to map out a campaign to sensitize the public and defuse the notion that the trade is ungodly.
A lotto operator, Samuel Quashi, at a stakeholder’s forum in Accra said “Our work is supporting the economy to a large extent. We are helping to build the nation. Therefore we need to be respected. Lotto is big business but some pastors are killing the job.
“Whiles we are trying hard to attract more people, Pastors are killing the job. Some of our customers are shy to be seen close to a kiosk,” he added.
He continued, “We have to go into their cars with the machine to stake it for them. So please let the adverts you churn out reflect the fact that lotto is not demonic.”
The National Lottery Authority (NLA) is planning to triple its earnings to government by streamlining activities of stakeholders, especially banker to banker operators.
The Authority pays about GH¢35 million every year to government. The NLA has drafted a strategic plan to formalise the banker to banker operators.
It has also begun talks to scrap taxes on the commission it gives operators as well as tax on wins. Again moves are also far advanced to increase the commissions paid to operators from 20 to 25 percent.
Formalization of the banker to banker operators is expected to between GHC150-200 million for government.
The Director General of the NLA Kofi Osei-Ameyaw explained “We are going to license a certain number of them within every region. We have 10 regions; for Greater Accra region we will be looking for about 30-50 operators on the top. If each one pays a million cedis in a year that gives us about 30-50 million.
“If we don’t get the total number and some want to operate and pay, we will give them the license and they will then employ the writers underneath them and they will be the ones writing. So once we do that they can go ahead as licensed banker to banker operators who are not using the Point of Sale (POS) machines,” Mr Osei-Ameyaw said.
He further added that operators with POS machines will also be given the opportunity to pay wins directly to customers.
“We are also going to make sure that those who are also doing Point of Sale in collaboration with the banks can also do Point of payment; so that they are not disadvantaged by the banker to banker operators,” he added.
