World Cup raffle: Minority seeks audit over GH¢ contributions and match tickets

Parliament's Minority faction is urging an independent audit of the World Cup Bonanza Raffle, accusing the government of mishandling funds raised from participants and demanding full transparency into the promotion's financial dealings. A total of 220 individuals who entered the initial draw, lured by offers of fully funded trips to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US and Canada, remain unsure following the cancellation of the event.

The Minority Caucus also expresses concerns over the second raffle, alleging that winners faced only a 95-minute window to submit travel documentation to a contact in Mali or forfeit their prizes. Ranking Member of Parliament's Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, requested that the government determine if participants of the cancelled raffle received refunds and explain the handling of their contributions.

Assafuah criticized the government for accepting money from the Ghanaian public and subsequently canceling the raffle without refunding participants, stating, "They boycotted the first raffle after they had taken money from the Ghanaian people." During a press conference on November 5, Assafuah requested details of the winners from the first draw, whether they received their promised trips, and how many ultimately traveled to the World Cup.

He questioned the fate of the money contributed by non-winning participants. The Minority group seeks the government to publish the contracts and financial agreements tied to the promotion, reveal the identities of the operators behind ghworldcupraffle.com, and clarify whether the National Lottery Authority (NLA) issued a license or entered a partnership for the event.

Additionally, they demand a comprehensive account of the 2,922 World Cup match tickets purchased using public funds, including the allocation to raffle winners and whether tickets were utilized.