Ghana NLA extends deadline for paper-based lottery operations phase-out to October 1
Private Lotto Operators, agents and writers receive two-month extension to complete transition to digital lottery operations following stakeholder consultations.
Ghana.- Ghana’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) has extended the deadline for Private Lotto Operators (PLOs), agents and writers to cease manual paper-based lottery operations until October 1 2026, giving stakeholders additional time to complete the transition to digital systems.
In a public announcement issued on August 3, the NLA said the decision followed consultations with stakeholders involved in the transition process. “Following stakeholder consultations, Management has extended the date for the cessation of manual operations,” the NLA said.
The regulator said that, under the terms of PLO licences, the use of manual paper was originally scheduled to cease on August 1. The revised deadline now gives operators, agents and writers until October 1 to comply with the new requirements.
The extension follows the NLA’s wider push to eliminate paper-based lottery staking and move Ghana’s lottery sector towards electronic operations.
NLA director-general Mohammed Abdul-Salam previously said some licensed operators were still using a hybrid model combining electronic point-of-sale (POS) systems with paper-based lottery sales. He said these arrangements would be phased out as the Authority moved towards a fully digital lottery system aimed at modernising lottery operations, improving revenue generation for the state and strengthening regulatory oversight.
The NLA had earlier directed PLOs to end paper-based lottery staking as part of its digitalisation programme, with August 1 set as the original compliance deadline under PLO licence conditions.
The latest announcement changes the implementation timeline but maintains the regulator’s requirement for operators to transition from manual paper-based processes to digital operations.
The authority also said those wishing to register as Lotto Marketing Companies (LMCs) should contact its sales managers at regional or district offices nationwide.
