In a bid to move from the traditional source of funding soccer in the country, Winner 1X2 Football Pools, a new football betting game has been launched in Accra.

The pools, fully licensed and regulated by the Gamming Commission of Ghana are operated by Pinbridge Ltd. in partnership with the Ghana Football Association.

The new game, which started yesterday, offers football fans a weekly football betting game that offers cash prizes and jackpots for winners of the game.

It is a game that requires little skill judgment and some luck to accurately predicts results of various football matches and Pinbridge Ltd will publish a match list of 12 football matches from around the world, mainly from Ghana and the European or Africa premier football leagues.

Interested persons who want to play the game have to select which teams they think will win by selecting either the home teams or the away teams as the winning team. I f they think the match will end in a draw they may also select that option.

There are four levels of cash prizes to be won for those that can accurately predict nine or more correct match results out of the 12 matches on the list. Prizes are pools based and will grow with sales.

Approximately, half of the money from sales of tickets will go back to players as prize money. All prizes are shared among the winners in each prize pool.

Winner 1X2 is played by reviewing the weekly Match list and marking your prediction on a play coupon that is available from all Winner Agents.

Launching the football pools at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra yesterday, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi described the introduction of the new game as a breakthrough which will offer alternative source of funding to football in the country. "After signing a ten-year contract with Pinbridge, I believe this will enable us move from the traditional source of income which is gate proceeds,' said the FA boss.

He noted that the benefits that the nation stands to benefits from the Winner 1X2 pools calls for a total support for the new game.

Pinbridge Ltd. have forged a strategic partnership with the GCB Bank to enable certain branches as redemption centres for the purpose of collecting and paying cash to players of the Winner game.

According to the organizers of the game, their target is to establish a network of 500 agents across Ghana within 12 months time and increasing to 2,000 and more.

Already, there are more than 200 agents in and around the Accra, Tema and Kumasi area.