The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, has urged members of European Lotteries (EL) and the African Lotteries Association (ALA), as well as stakeholders in the gaming and lottery industry, to be relentless in the fight against illegal gambling to protect their economies and citizens from substantial revenue losses and the denial of opportunities to improve their lives.

Mr Abdul Salam addressed more than 200 participants from Europe and Africa on 8th June at the 2026 EL Industry Days, ongoing in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 7th to 10th June.

The 2026 EL Industry Days, held under the theme Lotteries Bridging Continents, aim to foster meaningful collaboration between Europe and Africa to share best practices on opportunities and challenges in the gaming industry, mutual priorities, utilise digital solutions, share strategies for addressing illegal practices, promote responsible gaming, and reaffirm national lotteries as a catalyst to advance society.

EL President Ms Romana Girandon, in her opening address, emphasised the need for member bodies to embrace Responsible Gaming (RG), which she said is at the heart of who lottery organisations are. She announced that EL is developing a new RG Framework to support member bodies across continents. 

Ms Girandon applauded members for contributing over 29 billion euros to society. She urged them to work together to keep illegal lottery operators in check, protecting the hundreds of millions of players who put their money into the game every day.

The African Lotteries Association (ALA) was represented by its Secretary General, Mr Omar Skalli, who stated that both Africans and Europeans face similar challenges in the lottery space; therefore, this platform provides an opportunity for meaningful dialogue, networking, and the sharing of ideas.

Speaking on The Fight Against Illegal Gambling as A Significant Growing Issue in Africa, the Director-General of the NLA Ghana, who also serves as ALA Vice President, Mr Mohammed Abdul-Salam, drew comparisons between the challenges Africa faces with illegal gambling. He cited countries such as Ghana, Benin and South Africa, which are losing millions of dollars to illegal lottery activities, with South Africa leading by over $30 billion. Ghana loses over 1 billion cedis annually to illegal activities, the equivalent of about $85 million.

He highlighted the significant economic impact on these countries, which must be addressed immediately to curb the revenue drain that could otherwise be used for development.

Enumerating the solutions being explored by Ghana to address illegal gambling, he listed the use of technology to combat the activities of scammers and lottery syndicates, the introduction of sophisticated POS machines for retailers, addressing lapses in the enforcement of Responsible Gaming, strengthening the Authority’s National Lotto Act through an act of Parliament, and the use of Corporate Social Responsibility or Good Causes.

Mr Abdul-Salam concluded his address with a call on stakeholders not to relent in the war against illegal gambling. “For every amount lost to an illegal lottery operator, a child is denied education, a community is denied a health facility, the youth lose opportunities, and the economy of a nation loses millions that could help improve the lives of its citizenry”. He said.

Other speakers took turns sharing solutions to address illegal gambling, promote responsible gaming, and leverage technology and strategies to advance lottery operations across continents.  Member bodies will hold their General Assembly on 10^th June.

The European Lottery Industry Days 2026 is hosted by EL, Loterie Nationale Morocco, with support from EL Level I Partners Brightstar Lottery, Scientific Games & Level II Partner Aristocrat Interactive, and the Association of African Lotteries (ALA).

The National Lottery Authority has been an Observer Member of European Lotteries since June 2024.