Ghana Gaming Commission completes four-office expansion to strengthen sector oversight

Ghana’s Gaming Commission has completed a four-office expansion programme for 2026, extending its regulatory presence beyond major urban centres as the country seeks stronger monitoring, enforcement and responsible gaming supervision.

The Gaming Commission of Ghana has completed the commissioning of four new offices in 2026, with the final phase marked by the addition of a new office at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region. The expansion also includes offices in Ho in the Volta Region, Agona Swedru in the Central Region and Asante Bekwai in the Ashanti Region.

The move is part of the Commission’s wider effort to bring regulatory services closer to operators, players and local communities. Ghana’s gaming market has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly through sports betting and other games of chance, creating new challenges around underage gambling, addiction risks, illegal operations and operator compliance.

At the Agona Swedru opening, Acting Gaming Commissioner Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo said the location was strategic because the town links the Central Region, Eastern Region and other parts of the country. He said the expansion was a response to the rapid growth of the gaming industry and stressed that the Commission supports “safe, responsible, and lawful gaming,” while seeking to protect minors, vulnerable persons and communities from crime linked to unlicensed operations.

The Asante Bekwai office is expected to cover the southern part of the Ashanti Region. According to Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the new regional presence is intended to improve enforcement, make services more accessible and help address public concerns linked to minors participating in gambling, unlicensed entities and betting addiction.

The Commission’s mandate is set out under the Gaming Act 2006, Act 721. The Ministry of the Interior states that the Commission regulates, controls, monitors and supervises games of chance in Ghana, including casinos, sports betting, route operations, gaming equipment, promotional gaming, horse-racing betting, scratch cards and bingo.

The expansion also has a revenue and compliance dimension. The Commission says its work includes licensing, inspections and mobilisation of non-tax revenue from casinos, sports betting, route operators and promotions. More regional offices could therefore help improve field inspections, licence support, complaint handling and monitoring of operators outside Accra and other major cities.

For Ghana’s gambling sector, the four-office expansion signals a more localised regulatory model. If the Commission can use these offices to combine enforcement with education and responsible gaming awareness, the reform could strengthen compliance and reduce illegal activity. The next test will be whether this wider footprint leads to more consistent supervision in regional markets where betting and gaming activity has grown faster than regulatory access.