Is Sports Betting Legal In Ghana?

From the onset, it is important to answer this question in the affirmative. Although BettingGuide.com has additional information on the same question, we will help you understand the legal framework for sports betting in Ghana.  Sports betting in Ghana in the last 20 years has seen tremendous growth, the same as in other African countries.

There are over 20 sports betting companies in Ghana. The companies provide a wide range of sporting activities ranging from soccer to basketball, volleyball, golf, and cricket among others. It is worth noting that soccer is the most popular sport, with the English Premier League and the Ghanaian Premier League attracting a very wide fanbase. There is also a wide range of options including virtual sports and live betting, all of which continue to excite the bookies that want to reap big from betting.

The Ghanaian legal framework is very liberal and much unregulated, and it is estimated that about 45% of the adult population has gambled at some point in their life. The Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) is estimated to raise about 3.5 million US Dollars. The legality of sports betting in Ghana has been endorsed by the fact that the government continues to collect about 17.5 % in taxes from the multi-million industry.

Historical background to Sports Betting in Ghana

Ghana, upon getting its independence from its colonizers, the British in 1960 enacted the Lotteries Betting Act of 1960.

The upshot of the Act is that it legalized sports betting in the country. Later on, in 1973, the Gambling Machines Act of 1973 was passed to regulate all gaming machines. Another legislation, the Casino Licensing Act of 1975 was enacted, and it was to control and license all casinos in Ghana.

In 2006, the Gaming Act, 2006 was enacted to “Revise and consolidate the laws relating to casinos and other gaming activities…”. The Act, therefore, made all the Acts and previous decrees conform to the new law and also incorporated the latest developments in the betting world. It is worth noting that the Gaming Act repealed all the previously passed laws regarding sports betting, apart from the Lotto laws.

The Gaming Act, 2006

The Ghanaian Parliament passed this act to primarily harmonize all the sports gambling activities previously enacted laws. The Act also took a keen interest in the development of the booming sports gambling market and established a governing body that would develop the regulations and guidelines. The Gaming Commission’s specific mandate was to regulate, control, monitor and supervise the operations of all sports betting companies in Ghana.

The current legal state of sports betting in Ghana

Although the Gaming Act was seen as the solution to gambling in Ghana, it did not anticipate the online booming market, and thus the Ghanaian field is among the most liberal in sub-Saharan Africa. There are no specific provisions for the punters, regulators, and bookmakers at the moment. The entry and exit of betting companies are pretty much uncontrolled and this has affected the amount of revenue in form of tax collected by the government.

Another shortfall with the current laws is that there are no responsible betting requirements for Ghanaians- the burden is all founded on the old law that did not anticipate online sports betting. Many youths and children continue to fall into gambling addiction as there is no requirement on the side of the bookies to enforce responsible gambling measures.

Conclusion

The Ghanaian sports betting market holds tremendous potential in terms of growth and expansion. Investors are keen on the market due to the liberal regulations and laws. Punters are excited about the idea of ripping big from betting while supporting their favorite teams and personalities. There exists a delicate balance that the government needs to navigate, in terms of regulating the bookmakers freedom and how they conduct their business, while at the same time protecting the citizenry from addiction and loss of their money. All in all, sports betting remains legal in Ghana.