MoMo desk: betting deposits and withdrawals by Mobile Money

The three wallets

• MTN MoMo, run by MTN Ghana's mobile money company. Menu: *170#.
• Telecel Cash, the new name of Vodafone Cash since Vodafone Ghana rebranded as Telecel Ghana in 2024.
• AT Money, the wallet of AT, which is what AirtelTigo has been called since June 2023.

Operator help pages are often behind on these names. MSport's help still says "Vodafone Cash" and "Airtel-Tigo", and SportyBet's lists "Tigo" and "Airtel" separately.

How a deposit usually works

Licensed bookmakers in Ghana describe two routes, and both end with you approving the payment on your own handset:

1. Deposit in the app or website. You choose the network, type the amount and tap the top-up button. Your phone then shows a payment prompt, and you confirm it with your PIN in the network's own prompt.
2. Paybill by USSD. You dial the bookmaker's short code (MSport gives *711*800#, SportyBet *711*222#), enter the amount and approve.

If an MTN prompt does not appear, SportyBet's help tells users to dial *170#, open My Wallet, then My Approvals, and approve or decline the pending payment there. Whatever the route, the only place you type your PIN is your network's prompt or menu: never into a bookmaker form, a chat or a phone call.

Most operators only accept deposits from the phone number registered on your betting account. MSport warns that paying from another number creates a new account for that number.

What a withdrawal needs

• The same name. MSport's terms say withdrawals are paid only in the name of, and to, the registered account holder. Ghanaian wallets are registered to a person with a national ID, so the wallet name has to match the betting account.
• Usually the same number. Payouts go back to the wallet that funded the account. SportyBet lets you add a second deposit number only after the main account is verified with a Ghana Card or Voter ID.
• KYC when asked. Operators can hold a payout until identity checks are complete. A Pending payout at SportyBet or MSport is reviewed manually within three working days, by their own help pages.

Why "withdraw to another number" is blocked

Licensed operators pay out to the account holder only. That protects you if someone gets into your betting account, because they cannot send your balance to their own wallet. It also stops betting accounts being used to move money between people: SportyBet's help names withdrawals to many different people's accounts as a reason to freeze an account for review. Anyone who offers, for a fee, to release payouts to another number is running a scam.

Charges and the E-Levy

Both operators on this desk say they charge nothing to deposit or withdraw. Your wallet's own tariffs are separate: on 10 November 2026 we could not find a current official tariff table on the networks' websites, so check your wallet app or dial your network's menu before a large transfer.

E-Levy. The 1% Electronic Transfer Levy is gone. Parliament passed the Electronic Transfer Levy (Repeal) Bill in March 2025 (Ministry of Finance, 27 March 2025), and the Electronic Transfer Levy (Repeal) Act, 2025 (Act 1128) took effect on 2 April 2025, repealing Acts 1075 and 1089 (EY tax alert, 9 April 2025). The Ghana Revenue Authority lists the item as "Electronic Transfer Levy repealed in April 2025". MTN confirmed on 3 April 2025 that it had stopped deducting the levy (Graphic). We found no official notice bringing it back in 2026.

A fee that is on hold. MTN's Mobile Money Fintech Limited announced a 0.75% fee on wallet-to-bank transfers, capped at GHS 5, from 1 June 2026. On 26 May 2026 the Bank of Ghana directed it to pause the fee for further consultation (GNA). This fee would only touch MoMo-to-bank transfers, not betting deposits from a wallet. We found no report that the pause had been lifted.

Tax on winnings. The 10% withholding tax on betting winnings was abolished from 2 April 2025. Some operator help pages, including SportyBet's, still describe it, so look at the amount on the withdrawal screen before you confirm.

Scams to know

• The "reversal" call. Someone says they sent money to your number by mistake and begs you to send it back, sometimes after a fake SMS that looks like a MoMo alert. Check your real balance in the wallet menu. If a genuine mistake happened, the sender should go through their network's customer care, not through you.
• Fake agents. Callers who say they are from MTN, Telecel, AT or a bookmaker and need your PIN or a code to "fix" your account. Mobile Money Ltd has said its staff cannot see your PIN (Citi Newsroom, May 2025), and MTN repeated in October 2026 that customers should never share it (GNA).
• Fake bookmaker accounts. MSport says it has no WhatsApp or Instagram account. A "support agent" on WhatsApp asking for a deposit to release winnings is not the operator.
• Unlicensed sites. Some brands advertised to Ghanaians are not on the GCG register at all. Before you pay anyone, use our licence check.

SportyBet and MSport: what they document

Both are on the GCG register for 2026. We read these pages on 10 November 2026; we have not yet tested either with real money. Step-by-step pages: SportyBet deposits and withdrawals and MSport deposits and withdrawals.

Keep it a budget

Decide a weekly amount before you dial, never move money meant for rent, school fees or a susu, and never borrow to bet. GCG runs a self-exclusion programme and a toll-free line, 0800 454 545; see our responsible gaming page.

18+ only. Gamble responsibly. Gambling is addictive. Betting is not a way to earn money.