The case of private lottery

The Supreme Court Wednesday put to rest the long legal battle that had ranged between the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and the Ghana Lottery Operators Association (GLOA).

The court upheld the claim by the NLA, that under the existing laws, the GLOA had no right to do the sort of business it was doing.

The NLA, drawing its strength from Act 722, had directed the private lotto operators to stop work and surrender machines or equipment used for their operations to its Director-General.

But the GLOA argued that it was against its economic rights as enshrined in the Constitution to do so.

By this unanimous decision, private lottery has effectively been banned in the country.

That is the position of the law.
However, beyond the legal aspect, the Ghanaian Times, believes there are other socio-economic factors that this decision entail and which cannot be ignored.

First of all, the fact cannot be denied, that the operations of the private lottery has both negative and positive attributes.

But a critical analysis will reveal that the positive aspects far outweigh the negative side, which is mostly seen in legalities.

Private lottery operations did not start yesterday. It has been in this country for a very long time and it is nation-wide.

It stands to reason, therefore, that a lot of investment has gone into it, by way of manpower, equipment and infrastructure.

So what do we do with this huge investment and the close to 500,000 work-force.

Do we throw them out onto the streets?
Certainly no. The streets and corners of this country, are already full of idle handles, which the devil is using to unleash terror on innocent citizens.

There should be a way out. In the national interest, the Times suggests the two parties sit around the table once again and build on compromises. Even if it means the law being amended to take the concerns of the private operators on board, the better.

We would, however, caution the private operators, not to do politics with the issue.

We have heard some of them, referring to some campaign platform promises which will not in anyway advance their cause.

They have a genuine case and if they have lost the legal aspect, the socio-economic front is there to be pursued.

Credit: Times