Bý Godwin Mose
Gambling has infiltrated our social public and does not discriminate anyone on the basis of age, gender, religion or level of education.
Sadly, it has emerged as one of the biggest problems in today’s society.
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It is no more a game; instead, it is an addiction that break families, trigger depression and even death.
Young and old, men and women-all are slipping into the trap of a bet in a bid to get overnight riches.
However, instead of getting money, most are losing everything.
Most radio and television channels are awash with betting promotions.
One wonders how gambling has become the talk of the town.
“Media outlets have now turned into promoters of betting companies, telling people to bet with promising prospective wins in those bets.”
–Godwin Mose
People in the villages no longer concentrate on their farming or other good work; instead, they engage themselves trying their luck in betting.
This has been made worse by the newest and most dangerous game, (name withheld) which has only left many people hostage to endless losses.
Why does the government through Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) allow this to continue?
The truth is that gambling is a multi-billion-shilling business controlled by powerful people, including politicians.
Most of those large betting companies and radio stations promoting betting belong to big people.
The government understands the damage but does nothing about it perhaps because those in high positions benefit themselves from it.
One of the biggest tricks is parading on TV the so-called winners.
Every other day, it is common to see old men and women, some in their 70s, being handed over gambling cheques as being lucky winners.
But have you ever asked yourself, how did these elderly people, some of whom don’t even know how to use a smartphone, manage to deposit money and place bets?
It is always a planned strategy to make more people believe they can also win.
Worse still, it is alleged that some media stations hire fake winners who go to the extent of faking big wins.
Many stations are known for pushing betting culture.
If we don’t educate our people about these tricks, more lives will be destroyed.
As noted, we should appreciate that gambling addiction has lately become one of the major vices that fuel depression, cause families to break up, or even drive somebody to commit suicide.
Most youths are desperate to become rich swiftly, especially driven by the challenge they see through social media, forgetting that any success takes effort, time, and patience.
It is a high time the society wakes up and fights against this gambling crisis.
Let’s sensitize our people, more so in rural areas, against the dangers of betting.
We need to agitate for stringent laws that would curb gambling activities and media houses should desist from promoting such bad practices.
Our country needs future workers, honest living citizens, and not gamblers.
– _The author is a university student specialising in brand positioning and political communication.
