Sammi Awuku
National Lottery Authority (NLA) has unveiled four New Draw Machines after phasing out the 27-year-old machines for better service delivery.
Speaking at the launch of the draw machines, and relaunch of the VAG Lotto Game in Accra, NLA Director-General Samuel Awuku, said the new machines were acquired by virtue of the inability of the godmother machines to function as they should.
“Additionally, the machines have become obsolete, and their manufacturers are no longer making this model; thus, obtaining spare parts to fix them when they break down has increasingly become challenging.
Furthermore, NLA recently attained its Level 2 Certification in Responsible Gaming from the World Lottery Association (WLA) and is working on achieving Level 3 by the end of the year. As a prerequisite to being accredited among WLA member countries and to enable NLA to achieve higher Certification in Responsible Gaming, the Authority must operate with machines of the highest standards,” he said.
The NLA Director General said the four new Draw Machines will be used for the Monday Special. Midweek, Friday Bonanza and National Weekly Lotto Games, while the Old Draw Machines will be dedicated to the Lucky Tuesday, Fortune Thursday, and Sunday Aseda Games as they currently pertain.
“We have also procured an additional RNG machine for our Caritas promotions. We will introduce an additional draw in the afternoons from September 4, 2023, to bring our daily draws to 3, giving you multiple chances of winning in a day,” he added.
GH¢3m For LMCs
Mr. Awuku further announced that this week, GH¢3million of the GH¢6.2million owed to Lotto Marketing Companies (LMCs) will be released for disbursement.
The remaining amount of GH¢3.2 million will be made available in the coming days to pay off the loans to the LMCs. This is to fulfil the contractual obligations between the Authority and its partners, especially veterans.
“NLA is immensely grateful to the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG) for your cooperation since we began this partnership in 2018. In renewing our commitment to this partnership, NLA would endeavour to honour our contractual obligations by paying promptly,” he said.
Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, commended the NLA for sustaining the VAG Lotto Game over the years and rebranding it for your Lotto Marketing Companies and patrons to get more out of it.
“I urge the NLA and VAG to maintain this relationship and cooperation as a shared responsibility. I believe a unified front will enable you to keep the lottery illegal operators out of business and generate more revenue, which will inure to your benefits,” he urged.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri