Ghana NLA orders end to paper-based lottery operations by August 1
The NLA said any PLOs, agents or writers that continue using manual paper after the deadline will not be permitted to operate lottery services.
Ghana.- Ghana’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) has directed all Private Lotto Operators (PLOs) to stop using manual paper-based lottery systems from August 1, 2026, as the two-year transition period to electronic Point of Sale Terminals (POSTs) comes to an end.
In a public notice issued on Thursday, July 23, the regulator said the deadline is in line with the licence agreement signed with PLOs on August 30, 2024, which gave operators two years to replace paper staking with digital terminals.
The NLA said any PLOs, agents or writers that continue using manual paper after the deadline will not be permitted to operate lottery services. It also warned that operators that fail to settle outstanding regulatory fees by August 1 risk being removed from the list of licensed operators.
The announcement follows the NLA’s recent partnership with Fidelity Bank to expand the use of POS terminals across the lottery sector. The agreement is intended to support the Authority’s digitalisation programme, strengthen regulatory oversight and improve revenue collection.
As part of the initiative, the NLA also announced that the instant lottery payout limit through POS terminals will increase from GH¢1,200 (€90) to GH¢30,000 (€2,266), allowing eligible winners to receive larger prize payments immediately through Fidelity Bank.
