The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has warned that it will prosecute any person found to be conducting lottery which is disguised as consumer promotion in the country.

NLA said that despite its earlier notice to the general public and the recent judgment by the High Court on the prohibition of lottery by any person, it had observed an upsurge in the conduct of lotteries disguised as consumer promotions by sections of the public.

It said the conduct of lotto and lottery by any person, individual or institution was prohibited by the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), which empowered it to commence the prosecution of such persons.

The Authority, in a statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by Brigadier General Martin Ahiaglo, Acting Director General, decried the upsurge in the phenomenon.

“The public is hereby cautioned that NLA shall cause the arrest of the directors of any institutions or any individual engaged in any form of lottery as well as enter and seize from any premises article (s) used in conducting any form of lottery.”

The NLA is currently locked up in a legal battle with telecommunication giant MTN over its ‘MTN Go Rio’ promotion, which it described as lottery.