Is betting legal in Ghana?
Is betting legal in Ghana? Yes, as long as the bookmaker is licensed by the Gaming Commission of Ghana.
Under the Gaming Act of 2006, known as Act 721, only a limited liability company holding a licence for that particular game can run it, and for a punter aged 18 or over, betting with such a company is lawful online or at a shop.
Who licenses betting and how to check a site
The Gaming Commission grants every betting licence and supervises the companies that hold them. A licence covers a single product for a single year, and the current rows run from the first of January to the last day of December 2026, which is why a company with a sportsbook and an online casino appears twice.
- Note the company name and licence number in the betting site’s footer.
- Find the same trade name on the Commission’s published operator list.
- Match the product type, sports betting or casino, to what you plan to bet on.
Numbers issued for 2026 begin with GCSB26 for sports betting and GCCA26 for online casino; 1xBet Ghana prints GCSB26F1615T and GCCA26S1100P.
Age, Ghana Card checks and tax
Nobody under 18 can bet. From August 2025, every licensed bookmaker has to match its players against the records of the National Identification Authority, and the Ghana Card is the only ID it accepts for that. Expect a face or fingerprint match before your first bet and again before withdrawals.
The 10% deduction from winnings that began in 2023 was scrapped from 2 April 2025 by Act 1129, an amendment to the Income Tax Act. GRA instructed bookmakers to stop deducting it, and anyone charged after that date is owed the money back by the bookmaker.
Bookmakers are taxed at 20% of gross gaming revenue, a cost the operator carries itself.
Is betting legal in Ghana on offshore sites?
Many international bookmakers accept Ghanaian players without a Commission licence. They sit outside the Commission’s reach, so it has no power to help you recover a balance or settle a dispute with them.
A dispute with a licensed bookmaker has a clear route. Email the Commission at [email protected], post a letter with your evidence, or fill in a complaint form at one of its offices, which include Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. Screenshots of the bet slip and every chat with support belong in the file.
For Commission-licensed bookmakers with their current offers, see our Ghana betting sites page. This is general information and carries no legal advice.