The Concerned Lotto Agents Association of Ghana (CLAAG), has called on the government to regulate properly the operations of the lotto industry with a view to promoting employment and at the same time sourcing revenue for the badly needed development of the state of Ghana.

The association noted that successive governments have not given due recognition to the industry as a source of employment and have neglected to regulate the operations of the industry to sustain the provision of jobs and as a regular source of employment.

In a press statement, the Lotto Agents denied claims that the lotto industry had provided jobs to more than two million Ghanaians especially in the informal sector.

They also raised other concerns confronting lotto agents, calling on the government to address them as soon as possible.

Below is a statement:

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. It is an understatement to say that the lotto industry had provided jobs to more than two million Ghanaians especially in the informal sector.

Unfortunately the successive governments have not given due recognition to the industry as a source of employment and have neglected to regulate the operations of the industry to sustain the provision of jobs and as a regular source of employment.

The decision to cut off private participation in lotto industry was therefore not a step in the right direction.

The Atta Mills regime however decided to bring back the private participation through the creation of the VAG act in 2012.

The current administration through the Director General of National Lottories invited about 32 Private Lotto operations (firms, companies) to register and be lincensed to be able to operate.

Huge sums of money were paid by the thirty-two companies but about only seven got lincenses to operate, we hope that the rest will get their lincense in due course.

Those who did not apply for lincenses at all and who have no lincenses are now operating and paying huge commission to the Lotto writes because their operation is a black market sort of operation without any regulation.

We call on the government to regulate properly the operations of the Lotto industry with a view to promoting employment and at the same time sourcing revenue for the badly needed development of the state of Ghana.

The NLA at the moment is a player and a referee at the same time. NLA is a regulator and yet not independent as they themselves compete with lotto operations and that is a source of gargantuan confusion and chaos. We need an independent regulator who is not a competitor.

We are therefore calling on all our members to remain calm and give their support to the government so that this unfinished business will continue after the coming elections.