A heated debate has ensued between the Board Chairman of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Gary Nimako Marfo and the lawyer for private lotto operators over their operations.

In an interview on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen programme Wednesday, Mr Nimako indicated licensing has been the major problem of lotto operators in Ghana.

The situation, according to him has made it difficult for NLA to regulate the lotto operators.

However, upon assuming office, he and the Board took it upon themselves to correct all the wrongs to regularise the system.

But the lawyer of the operators, Ato Conduah disagreed and will have none of that.

Mr Conduah accused NLA of acting in bad faith in delivering on its mandate, adding it has not been fair to the lotto operators.

“The companies were to run from January to December 2024 but mid year, NLA has issued a new directive asking them to pay money for licenses and the operators are not happy.

“NLA cannot just come at them to sign a new contract when they even paid monies but were not even issued licenses. NLA is perpetuating an illegality. What was the reason for the money NLA took from them?” a visibly angry Mr Conduah questioned.

The lawyer described NLA’s action as malicious and an attempt to collapse businesses.

But addressing his concerns, Mr Nimako clarified that payment of an application fee does not guarantee the acquisition of a license.

“NLA acts both as a regulator and operator. So the operators are expected to apply in the name of a company not an association then the board will determine how much you will pay. We will then subject your application to scrutiny and determine whether you meet the outlined conditions and qualify before we issue the license.

“So you can pay the money but if you don’t meet the conditions, we can’t grant the license. I am not here to collapse anybody’s business but to ensure the right things are done because if we allow companies to operate without licenses, then it means NLA has failed to deliver on its mandate,” he explained.

Acknowledging that he was pained over the position of the lotto operators, Mr Nimako however noted he was ready to engage the operators conclusively.

“I feel a stabbed in the back because we have been going back and forth on the same issue since June and have engaged them for a long time then suddenly we are having this misunderstanding.

“They should know I am ready to engage them but they can’t take the board for granted,” he stated.