Government should maintain strict control over the lottery sector – George Ayisi
During a recent discussion on Maakye Live, Mr. George Ayisi expressed his compelling argument for why the government should maintain strict control over the lottery sector, a viewpoint that he defended wholeheartedly in a conversation with Mr. Speaker.
Drawing from his background in mathematics and his experience in the lottery industry, Mr. Ayisi highlighted the importance of government oversight in sectors that are crucial to national revenue.
He shared a lesson from his statistics lecturer: “Two things you don’t seed to the private sector: the lottery and insurance.”
According to Ayisi, these sectors are too critical to be left in private hands, as they are significant sources of government revenue.
“Any serious country that wants revenue to develop their country, the government must have maximum control on their lottery and insurance,” he asserted.
Mr. Ayisi further emphasized the potential for illegal activities within the lottery industry if it is not tightly regulated. He pointed out that the NLA has established a process for operators to register with a fee of c50,000, a requirement that underscores the need for strict oversight.
He criticized the private operators for resisting the Betting Tax, questioning their reluctance to comply with established procedures.
“If there’s a license and you’re told to pay money for that, are the lotto operators trying to say they do not know the process they must go through before they register?” Ayisi asked, underscoring the operators’ responsibility to follow the rules.
The discussion between Mr. Ayisi and Mr. Speaker became particularly engaging when the issue of legal recourse was raised. Mr. Speaker questioned the fairness of the tax and the process by which it was introduced, to which Mr. Ayisi responded pointedly:
“If they think the other taxes are not part of the process, don’t we have lawyers in the country, don’t we have courts too?” This exchange highlighted Ayisi’s belief that the operators should seek legal solutions if they believe the tax is unjust, rather than resist compliance.
Mr. Speaker then probed further, asking, “So you expect them to pay?” Mr. Ayisi, unwavering in his stance, replied, “Why not?”
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Story by: Pepertual Anyimadu
