Betting Company Failed To Pay Ghanaian Man Who Won GH¢57 Million Ceases Operation In Ghana Abruptly

Betting Company Failed To Pay Ghanaian Man Who Won GH¢57 Million Ceases Operation In Ghana Abruptly

  • The story of how a Ghanaian man who won GH¢57 million through sports betting but could not receive his winnings has re-emerged
  • Theophilus Morgan won the huge bet by staking bets on top football games like the English Premier League, and the Champion League, among others
  • Various attempts to get his money have failed as the company, SafariBet has even stopped operations in Ghana

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It has emerged that one of the top betting companies operating in Ghana a few years ago, SafariBet Sports Betting, failed to pay a Ghanaian man who won Ghȼ57 million ($5 million) and later closed shop.

Theophilus Morgan won the money in a high-stakes bet that involved top football games like the English Premier League, the Champion League, Italian Serie A and the Europa League.

Theophilus Morgan has not been paid by SafariBet after winning 57 million cedis.
Theophilus Morgan and a file photo of a wad of dollars. Source: Facebook/@eonlineghana, Getty Images.
Source: UGC

According to a report on the incident by state-owned Daily Graphic on June 30, 2023, Morgan's groundbreaking win of Ghȼ57 million was the result of extensive betting activities that spanned five days.

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There was a total of 24 games that were replicated 220 times.

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The incident happened in 2018 and was covered extensively by YEN.com.gh, however, it re-emerged recently during a Regulatory Compliance Workshop held in Accra.

SafariBet could not honour the huge payout

After Morgan failed to get his winnings, he first filed a complaint with the Gaming Commission and later sought legal redress at the courts. The Gaming Commission did not help much at the time, so he filed a case at the court.

He got a favourable court judgement that compelled the company to pay him his huge winnings.

However, SafariBet ceased operations in Ghana before the judgement could be enforced.

The report said Morgan has still not received his money.

New Gaming Commission boss promises Morgan's predicament won't happen again

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At the Regulatory Compliance Workshop, the new Board Chairman of the Gaming Commission of Ghana, Gary Nimako Marfo, promised that the unfortunate incident won't happen under this administration.

He said steps have been put in place to prevent any gaming company from failing to make payouts or frustrating winners.

19-year-old boy bets GH¢10 to win GH¢900k

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that a 19-year-old boy reportedly won almost GH¢900,000 from sports betting, but the problem is that his father is not comfortable with it.

The boy was said to have staked just about GH¢10 and was lucky to get the large amount, but his father said betting was wrong.

In a story that has gone viral, the boy's brother shared an anonymous message asking for advice on how to convince their father.

Ghana government imposes new 10% tax on winnings from sports betting

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Also, the government of Ghana has imposed a 10% tax on all earnings from sports betting and lotteries in the country.

Many Ghanaians have vehemently disagreed with the new policy and have called for it to be abolished.

Some have stated that lotteries, especially sports betting, have become a social nuisance among the youth and should be abolished.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
George Nyavor avatar

George Nyavor (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) George Nyavor writes for YEN.com.gh. He has been Head of the Politics and Current Affairs Desk since 2022. George has over 9 years of experience in managing media and communications (Myjoyonline and GhanaWeb). George is a member of the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners Ghana (CAMP-G). He obtained a BA in Communications Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2010. Reach out to him via george.nyavor@yen.com.gh.