The National Lotto Authority (NLA) has responded to threats by members of the Ghana Lotto Receivers Union in the country to embark on an indefinite strike if their commissions are not restored.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the lotto sellers asked government to direct the NLA to restore the 20 per cent reduction in their commissions or lose millions of cedis.
Members of the Ghana Lotto Receivers Union, numbering about 8000, indicated that they would be forced to embark on an indefinite strike by Friday, June 3, 2011 if they do not hear a favourable response to their demand.
�If our demands are not met by June 3 we will eventually withdraw our capital from the lotto business and embark on an indefinite nationwide strike,� said Sir Samuel Yeboah, General Secretary of the National Association of Lotto Agents and Writers at a press conference yesterday.
Since 1962, lotto receivers have pre-financed the operations of the NLA, formerly known as Department of National Lotteries (DNL). Every week, lotto sellers pre-finance NLA operations to a tune of over GH�50,000.
Nonetheless, Reagan Twum-Barimah, Brands Strategy and Communications Manager of NLA, in an interview, confirmed that the Lotto sellers do not have a case as the reduction was based on a court order.
�The court ruled based on the National Lotto Act 722, which says that the board of the NLA has the mandate to review commissions. Though it did not say to reduce but to review and that is what the board did.�
He said the lotto operators are now in a better position to make more money compared to a few years ago when the NLA operated only one game, as the authority now operate seven games on all days except Sundays.
�Although we consider the lotto operators as important agents they are not being compelled to take the new commission anyway. Government needs revenue for other important projects.�
Before reducing the commissions of the lotto sellers by 20 percent, the NLA noted that the money would be used to cover the cost of 10,000 Point of Sale Portable Automated Data Processing Machine (PADPM) imported for distribution to lotto marketing companies and other lotto operators in the gambling business.
However, the lotto sellers believe the NLA breached Section 41 of the National Procurement Law, 2003 (Act 633) as it procured the items through sole sourcing.
�We strongly believe that the transaction stinks. It smacks of fraud and corruption and we are calling on government to urgently investigate it,� stated Kofi Frimpong, a member of the union.
In response to this allegation, Mr Twum-Barimah directed the leadership of the lotto sellers to verify from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) if the due procedure was not followed. �If they go to the PPA and they find out that we did not do the right thing then they can talk.�
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