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A Takoradi Circuit Court on Tuesday granted a bail of GHc6000 each to the 61 illegal lotto operators arrested with one surety to be justified. They pleaded not guilty to the offence. The accused persons were divided into three groups with the first group scheduled to appear in court on April 30, the second on May 7 and the third group on May 14. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Felix Danku, told the court presided over by Mr. Charles Bamfo Nimako that the accused persons were arrested on April 4 and 5, at locations in Sekondi-Takoradi, Shama, Daboase, Elubo, Tarkwa and Agona-Nkwanta, all in the Western Region, conducting illegal lotto contravening the National Lotto Authority (NLA) Act, Act 722 of 2006. He said the accused persons were apprehended in swoops carried out by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on illegal lottery and fraud. The prosecution said it was a criminal offence, under the laws of Ghana, for anyone or group of persons to operate lottery except the NLA, which had been mandated to do so in the country.