The calls on the Gaming Commission to rescind the directive banning celebrities from advertising betting because revenue streams of the industry will shrink lack merit, entertainment analyst Ricky Tenneson has argued.

According to him, persons in the arts should rather mount pressure on the government to fix the broken industry. He mentioned on GhanaWeb TV’s entertainment review show ‘Bloggers’ Forum’ that if proper structures were in place and the environment was conducive enough for arts to thrive, the industry would not be witnessing a protest against guidelines aimed at protecting the vulnerable.

“What are our core revenue generation angles? It is not by signing up to a gambling agency. If I’m starting music, my focus is not producing music because I want to sign up to an alcoholic beverage or a betting company. No! It is rather to generate revenue from streams, copyright licenses, live events… that’s what we need to fight for,” he told host Abrantepa.

“If there are laws that are actually protecting creative arts persons, government making available funds to support the industry like they do for other industries, we won’t even be bothered about which agency has been cut from giving you sponsorship.

“Mind you, the discussion we are having is just benefiting a few people. How about those who haven’t been signed to advertise betting? If structures were working, these ones are just add-ons. Let’s just say if these betting agencies, without any governmental issues close, are we going to say the industry is not going to survive? We need now to focus more on our direct revenue streams,” Tenneson added.

His point was however contested by colleague Nenebi Tony who posited that revenue channels included commercial partnerships. He further mentioned that the core revenue channels are not enough to sustain an artist.

Citing the Forbes list to back his claim, Nenebi said “the top five richest rappers in the world – Kanye West, Jay Z, P Diddy, Dr Dre and Drake – only two of them are active musicians and that is Drake and Kanye West. Out of these five, only one of them makes 50% of their income from music and that is Drake. So revenue from music, film is never going to a point where an artiste can rely on them in the current dispensation to survive. That is why you build your brand as a person and you make money off your brand.”

The Gaming Commission of Ghana under its supervisory mandate drawn from Section 3 (2) (g) of the Gaming Act, 2006 (Act 721), last week, released guidelines on advertising for operators of games of chance, including banning betting companies from using celebrities in their advertisement or as ambassadors.

According to the commission, the decision “is to ensure that advertisements by operators are conducted in a responsible manner devoid of promises of any predetermined outcomes, appeals/enticements to Gamble to the vulnerable in society as well as minimise exposure to minors where applicable.”

Watch the full show below: