The fight against illegal lotto operations in Ghana continues unabated with a major push led by the Director-General and Management of the National Lottery Authority (NLA).

On August 26, the Authority organised a press conference at Brennan Hall to re-emphasise the ongoing registration exercise for Lotto Writers under registered Private Lotto Operators, a process initially launched on September 18, 2024, under the previous leadership.

As part of the initiative, unique identification stickers are being introduced for all Writers and Agents of Private Lotto Operators (PLOs). This measure is expected to reduce illegal activities in the industry and significantly boost the Authority’s revenue.

Addressing the press, the Director-General, Mr. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, noted the growing difficulty distinguishing legitimate writers from illegal ones. He explained that the introduction of the new sticker system would firmly establish the Authority’s regulatory role. Supported by the Operations and Compliance teams, this initiative will be enforced from September 1, 2025, to clamp down on unlicensed operators.

The Executive Secretary of the Concerned Lotto Agents and Writers Association (CLAAG), Mr. Kwaku Duah, welcomed the development, stressing that it was time for Registered Operators to benefit from the fees they had paid. He further cautioned that any Agent or Writer who fails to comply with the new regulations would not receive their support when caught by the law.

The sticker will display the Agent or Writer’s name, location, phone number and payment details, among other information. A QR code generated upon payment will allow the compliance team to easily verify duly licensed operators during their visits.

Mr. Andrew Tuah, Head of Operations, added that the registration fee of GHC 250 for Lotto Writers was to be renewed annually. In addition to the sticker’s robust security features, which cannot be duplicated, he announced a nationwide sensitisation exercise for the Lotto Writers to familiarise themselves with this app.

The press conference was also attended by the Deputy Director-General, Mr. Eric Yeboah Wadie, the Public Relations Officer of CLAAG, Mr. David Agbeviadeh, members of the Executive Management, Management and Staff of the Authority.

Next-gen operator launches sport betting with award-winning platform provider

Rise & Hustle, Africa’s next-gen tap-to-earn gaming operator, has launched sports betting within its street game platform through a new partnership with leading sportsbook platform provider Altenar.

As part of the deal, Altenar is delivering thousands of daily pre-match events and live in-play betting with fast markets and cash out, alongside extensive esports coverage and a full range of traditional sports to Rise & Hustle’s players in Nigeria.

Popular sports such as football and the English Premier League will form the foundation, complemented by comprehensive coverage of local competitions to satisfy regional betting interests. Players will benefit from being able to use local currency (Naira), ensuring a familiar end-to-end experience.

The agreement sees Rise & Hustle’s users benefit from personalised bet recommendations, and seamless wallet integration across casino, free-to-play and sportsbook. An optimised UI/UX with intuitive navigation across both mobile and desktop simplifies the betting process, while the free-to-play element awards players with free bets to drive engagement and retain loyalty.

Altenar’s customisable, mobile-first front end aligns seamlessly with Rise & Hustle’s brand, while its advanced risk management tools protect profitability and fraud prevention. Operators can now benefit from real-time, competitively priced odds and 24/7 access to Altenar’s trading team, highlighting its commitment to customer care.

The partnership follows a strong year for Altenar on the African continent, after it gained its South Africa licence back in December 2024 and appointed Brendon Jeacocks as Regional Director.

Tassos Theocharidis, Senior Sales Executive at Altenar, said: “We’re delighted to team up with Rise & Hustle to deliver a new sports betting experience to its players. We firmly believe in the operator’s potential in the fiercely competitive Nigerian market.

“We look forward to enhancing their existing offering with the addition of our award-winning sports betting technology.”

Josh Jones, CEO & Co-Founder of Rise & Hustle, commented: “Our collaboration with Altenar enables us to deliver a world-class betting experience tailored to Nigerian players’ interests.

“The onboarding process and speed-to-market were two key factors in choosing Altenar and rolling out a sportsbook solution will help us attract demographics as we evolve our business.”

Emerging-markets aggregator scoops prestigious prize at key West African summit in Ghana

QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has won the “Best Innovation” award at the Annual Sports Betting West Africa (SBWA+) 2025 Summit in Ghana, fending off strong competition from other leading lights.

Innovation of the Year celebrates the company that has pioneered innovative solutions tailored for the West African igaming industry over the past 12 months – and QTech Games again superseded and surpassed an array of proven performers in this category, notably Blask, ComplyGuard, PopOK and Sumsub, with the successful launch and rollout of QTech Hybrid.

These SBWA+ Eventus Awards always recognise excellence and advancements in the West African igaming and sports betting sector. And this year was no different, celebrating a plethora of pioneers from outstanding operators, through progressive technological innovators and regulatory leaders, and on to distributors with the requisite scope and localised expertise to reliably ensure the provision of the most engaging and varied content for the planet’s second-most populous continent.

These are some of the most consequential categories of igaming activity, denoting progressive domains that are shaping the industry’s future across Africa. And the SBWA+ judges found that QTech Games had outperformed its shortlisted rivals in this competitive arena for the judging period of 2025.

QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re thrilled to have walked off with another notable award for the best innovation in West Africa. Being shortlisted in such good company was already a result, but victory provides the real validation, particularly after running a great campaign across recent summits in Africa.

“We know our QTech Hybrid solution works wherever our clients set their scene on the map. In Africa, for our pilot partners, it’s already delivered an agile retail solution that can be transferred to your phone, so that the customer can continue playing after leaving the premises or retail point. Encouragingly, it’s already attracting many early adopters and plaudits, especially in Africa and Spanish-speaking territories in Central and South America.

“This win is testimony to our diligent team at QTech Games, and to the constantly growing group of innovative suppliers that our platform represents. It’s a truly collaborative effort. We’ve made our name as the go-to distributor for emerging markets and we remain committed to rolling out high-quality content that drives revenue for our worldwide partners across Africa and beyond.”