The government of Ghana plans to impose a 10% tax on all winnings from sports betting and lotteries. Many young Ghanaians who participate in sports betting have criticized the new fee on social media.
Throughout the last ten years, Ghana’s betting sector has experienced a great expansion rate, encouraging several betting companies to establish operation centers in the jurisdiction.
Ghanaians have a divided opinion on sports betting: some emphasize its negative impacts on the youth, while others agree that betting is legal and should not be considered as harmful.
This comes a year after the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced the taxing of pilot electronic-commerce, gaming and bet taxes in April 2022. Back when it was first confirmed, there were 33 sports betting companies duly registered with the Gaming Commission and 8 legal casinos in the country.
Assistant Commissioner of GRA, Dr. Martin Yamborigya said the activities of these companies, which were expected to contribute to the government’s revenue envelope, had increased over the years, and their operations needed to be taxed.
‘It is an area that is also growing. A lot of people are moving away from the brick-and-mortar business into this online business’, he stated, and added that the Authority is having an number of engagements with the Gaming Commission, Ghana, and operators in the gaming and betting industry to ensure that the right taxes are paid by players in the industry. “
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2023/04/20/66880-ghana-government-to-impose-a-10-tax-on-spots-betting-a-lotteries-winnings
