Betting company refuses to pay winnings in Ghana: what you can do

A betting withdrawal is pending for an ordinary reason far more often than for a refusal. The account may still be waiting on identity verification. A bonus may carry turnover conditions that lock the balance, or the wallet on your side may be full. Read the cashier message and the bonus terms before you treat a delay as a refusal.

A refusal looks different. The operator voids a settled bet after the fact, cites a rule it cannot point to in its own terms, closes the account with money inside, or stops replying. If a GH₵6,400 payout is cut to GH₵640 with a mention of an irregular pattern, ask for the exact clause in writing. That reply, or the silence, becomes part of your evidence.

You report a betting company that has not paid you to the Gaming Commission of Ghana. The first step is to confirm the firm is on its register. The Commission publishes the list of licensed operators on its website, with trade name, licence type, issue date and expiry. The current entries were issued on 1 January 2026 and expire on 31 December 2026. If the brand is not there, it is outside the Commission's reach.

1. Check the licensed operators page on gamingcommission.gov.gh for the trade name on your bet slip.
2. Call the Commission's toll-free line, 0800 454 545, or its Accra office on 027 469 8935 to ask how to lodge the complaint.
3. Send the complaint by email or letter with the evidence attached, the route the Commission's own FAQ describes. Or visit its office at Diamond House, PMMC Building, Accra Central, and fill the complaint form.
4. Punters in Kumasi can use the Ashanti office at 403 Kwabena Darko Avenue, Ahodwo; there are also offices in Kasoa and Tamale.

In June 2023 the Commission's board chairman, Gary Nimako Marfo, told an industry workshop that punters facing delays with winnings should report them to the complaints unit. He said the Commission would deal with them quickly. He also said minimum capital and bankroll requirements had been raised so that firms could not hold on to customers' money.

The evidence the Gaming Commission asks for is whatever shows the bet, the win and the refusal, because its FAQ says to write in attaching evidence. Collect it before the operator can change anything on its side.

• The bet slip or booking code with the stake, the odds and the settled return, saved as a screenshot with the date visible.
• The withdrawal request from the cashier and every status it has shown, including the date it went to pending.
• The MoMo or bank record of the deposit that funded the bet, which also proves the account is yours.
• Every chat, email or call log with customer care, with the name of the agent and the time.
• Your account details as registered, including the Ghana Card name, so the Commission can match you to the operator's records.

Keep the account open and do not accept a partial settlement in exchange for closing the complaint until the Commission has replied. A ranked list of betting sites in Ghana with licence status is a quicker check than the register when you choose where to deposit next.

Whether the Gaming Commission can recover your winnings depends on the operator being licensed and still trading. In April 2019 it suspended SafariBet Sports Betting indefinitely after a punter, Theophilus Morgan, complained that he had not been paid. In the same notice it warned the public that Lollibet had no gaming licence at all. Morgan later obtained a default judgment in court; the suspension alone did not put money in his hands.

That case shows both ends of the process. The Commission can order an operator to pay and can stop it trading. A licensed firm with a renewal to protect has every reason to settle a well-documented complaint. An unlicensed site, or one that has left Ghana, cannot be compelled by the Commission. The only remaining route is a civil claim, which costs money and time. The payment methods hub shows how a licensed operator's payout normally reaches a wallet. That is the benchmark for a delayed one.

• Graphic Online, 30 June 2023: Report betting companies that refuse to pay winnings, Gaming Commission
• Gaming Commission of Ghana: contact details and toll-free line
• Gaming Commission of Ghana: frequently asked questions, complaints and licence checks
• Gaming Commission of Ghana: licensed operators register
• Citi Newsroom, 16 April 2019: Gaming Commission suspends SafariBet, warns public against Lollibet