The National Lottery Authority (NLA) says it expects lottery staking to transition fully to electronic platforms by the end of July as it rolls out new point-of-sale (POS) machines to accredited lottery vendors across the country.

Speaking after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fidelity Bank at the bank’s head office in Accra, Director-General of the NLA, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, said the Authority is determined to phase out manual lottery staking.

“By the end of July, no one should be seen using pen and paper. We need to compel people to stake through the electronic equipment,” he said.

According to him, the move is aimed at modernising lottery operations, improving efficiency and enhancing transparency in the staking process.

Mr Abdul-Salam explained that the partnership follows nearly a year of technical assessments, commercial negotiations and operational planning to replace ageing lottery terminals and unreliable 2G connectivity with modern point-of-sale devices and improved network infrastructure.

He said the Authority had been working towards the transition for some time but believes the conditions are now right for implementation.

Beyond the technology upgrade, the Director-General said the agreement introduces changes to lottery payouts through the POS channel. Under the new arrangement, the instant win payment limit at POS terminals has been increased from GH¢1,200 to GH¢30,000.

He added that winners of larger prizes will also have the option of receiving immediate payment through Fidelity Bank, with the bank settling qualifying winnings upfront while the Authority reimburses the bank under an agreed arrangement.

Mr Abdul-Salam noted that the initiative is intended to improve customer experience while helping the NLA remain competitive amid growing pressure within the lottery industry.

Officials of Fidelity Bank described the partnership as part of efforts to leverage financial technology to support digital transformation and improve service delivery within Ghana’s lottery ecosystem.

The NLA says the nationwide deployment of the new POS machines forms part of its broader strategy to modernise lottery operations and reduce reliance on manual, paper-based transactions.