The Gaming Commission in a statement signed by the board chairman, Gary Nimako Marfo, and dated June 27, 2022, noted that for the licensing year 2022, 35 sports betting licenses have been issued by the commission. In addition, they have also issued 8 route licences and 26 casino licences to deserving companies.

“Pursuant to Section 13 of the Gaming Act 2006, Act 721, the Governing Board of the Gaming Commission of Ghana has licensed the under listed Companies to operate in Ghana until 31st December 2022,” the statement read.

“The Public is hereby notified not to deal with any unlicensed Company in the game of chance. The Public is further assured that there would be continuous monitoring by the Governing Board to clamp down on all unlicensed entities operating in the industry,” the Gaming Commission’s statement further read.

The Gaming Commission

The Gaming Commission is a corporate body established by the Gaming Act 2006 (Act 721), with the main purpose of regulating, controlling, monitoring, and supervising the operation of games of chance in this country.

The Commission is also responsible for issuing licenses to all gaming operators and permits to companies and individuals who wish to run promotions with elements of games of chance.

Stakeholder compliance

In September 2021, the Gaming Commission of Ghana stepped up efforts toward enforcing “know your customer” (KYC) verification in the Ghanaian gaming industry.

KYC verification simply requires gaming operators to verify the identification of all punters who visit their outfits or websites. The Commission explained at the time that the effort had become necessary because of the recent growth in gaming activities in Ghana.

In addition, at a recent stakeholder engagement, the Gaming Commission and the Financial Intelligence Centre laid out a series of steps that will ensure that operators in the fast-growing gaming industry comply with mandatory KYC verification.