The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of extortion and fraud over the World Cup Bonanza Raffle, calling for a special audit into the organisation, financial arrangements and management of the promotion.
According to the caucus, about 220 participants entered the first raffle, hoping to win fully funded trips to the United States and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but were left uncertain about their money following the cancellation of the promotion.
They also questioned the handling of a second raffle, alleging that winners were given only 95 minutes to submit their travel documents to a contact in Mali, with a warning that failure to meet the deadline would result in the forfeiture of their prizes.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, November 5, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, demanded clarification on whether participants in the first raffle had received full refunds.
He stated, “They boycotted the first raffle after they had taken money from the Ghanaian people. So, if you are a street hawker and you believed in this process and staked a lottery of about GH¢10,000, each stake constituting GH¢10, then the government will say we have cancelled it, without refunding their monies to them”.
He further questioned whether winners of the first raffle had been refunded or travelled to the tournament.
“The big question that we should be asking is: who were the lucky winners for the first raffle? Were their monies refunded? Were they taken to the US or Canada? Were all the monies from the Ghanaian people refunded to them, whether they won or not? How many winners actually travelled? What happened to the rest?” he asked.
The Minority is demanding the publication of the financial arrangements behind the advertised prizes, including raffle ticket sales, prize funds, goodwill transfers and revenues paid into Ghana’s Sports Fund.
They also want clarification on whether the National Lottery Authority (NLA) licensed or partnered in the promotion, details of the contract awarded to its operators and the identities of those behind the website ghworldcupraffle.com.
The caucus has further demanded an account of the 2,922 match tickets allegedly purchased with public funds, including how many were allocated to raffle winners and whether they were used.
“We also want them to publish the Bonanza ticket sales, prize fund and goodwill transfers, and the government raffles revenue and any surplus paid into Ghana’s Sports Fund,” he said.
The Minority has petitioned the Auditor-General to conduct a special audit of the November 4 raffle, the March 18, 2026, raffle and the World Cup fund.
It has also called for Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee to take evidence on the promotions as part of its ongoing inquiry into the World Cup visa controversy.
Additionally, it wants the Data Protection Commission to investigate how winners’ passports and personal information were collected, stored and shared.
However, the Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has said all participants in the first raffle have been refunded.
Kori Adams added that the government is working to provide financial compensation to winners of the second raffle who were unable to travel to the tournament.
Meanwhile, Vincent Ekow Assafuah has criticised President John Dramani Mahama over what he describes as a secretive investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup visa acquisition process.
Ekow Assafuah disclosed that he had boycotted an invitation to appear before the committee established by the President, citing concerns about its independence, transparency and credibility.
The Old Tafo MP disclosed that his decision was based on concerns about the independence and credibility of the committee.
He argued that the matter should instead be investigated by an independent commission of inquiry.
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ Hon. Vincent Ekow Assafuah has raised serious allegations against the Ministry of Sports and the National Lottery Authority (NLA) over the World Cup Bonanza raffle draw. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Hon. Vincent Ekow Assafuah questions the motive behind using a Malian WhatsApp number to communicate with winners of the World Cup Bonanza raffle draw. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Hon. Vincent Ekow Assafuah calls for transparency and accountability in the World Cup Bonanza raffle draw. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
