Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and private lotto operators to ensure that all their endeavours are represented by legitimacy, efficiency and social responsibility.

He said although their aim was to make money, their operations must be undertaken with a deep sense of social responsibility by initiating more sponsorship programmes and other social interventions to better the lives of people.

He was speaking in Accra last Wednesday at the launch of Game Park, a new digital lottery gaming platform.

The platform is owned by Game Park Ghana Limited, a new lottery gaming provider which is poised to revolutionise the industry with cutting-edge offerings.

Worldwide, former President Kufour said lottery had become recognised as a major sponsor of good causes, particularly in the field of health, sports, arts, heritage, education, and the environment.

He explained that statistics from the World Lottery Association indicated that since 1999, lottery entities had raised an estimated $1.5 trillion to fund good causes.

In addition, he said in the year 2021, the entities supported good causes with $92 billion. 

The former President acknowledged that in Ghana, the footprints of the NLA’s good causes as well as its third-party collaborators and private lotto operators were dotted in the communities and institutions, touching more than 500,000 lives in the areas of health, education, arts, culture, youth and sports development.

“They’ve been doing well but I believe more could be done, especially in areas such as entrepreneurship, mentorship, scientific and technological programmes,” he stressed.

The Director-General of the NLA, Sammy Awuku, commended Game Park Limited for meeting all the requirements of the NLA.

As a third-party collaborator, he was hopeful that its games which could be played online with as low as GH¢1, would inject some excitement into the country’s lottery space.

He urged the company to operate with the highest sense of integrity by ensuring that its players were given authentic results.

The Executive Director of Game Park Limited, Bibi Bright, said as a third-party collaborator licensed by the NLA, the company drew its experience from its technical service provider, Supreme Ventures Limited, premier gaming and entertainment provider in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

She said not only did the technical service providers stand out due to its over 20 years of experience but it was also listed on Jamaica’s stock exchange since 2006 and had provided more exciting games and products through its distribution network.

“And like our trusted partner with a track record, Game Park is here to provide Ghanaians with exciting games which are easy to play and easy to win,” Madam Bright stated.