By: Dawda Baldeh
As gambling increasingly becomes a popular pursuit among young people seeking quick wealth, concerns have emerged regarding its detrimental effects, which are linked to family conflicts, financial losses, addiction, and crime among the youth.
The opposition Gambia Action Party (GAP) has called for an immediate ban on betting, citing its harmful effects on the younger population. In a statement, GAP leader Musa Ousainou Yali Batchilly urged the government to reinstate the ban to protect the youth.
“I urge you, President Barrow, to take swift action to address the alarming and damaging consequences of betting and gambling on our society, especially on young people,” he stated.
Batchilly criticized the legalization and spread of betting establishments, noting that they are rapidly eroding moral values, increasing crime rates, harming families, and negatively affecting academic performance.
On March 2, 2015, former President Yahya Jammeh prohibited all forms of gambling in the country. “All operators of these services and establishments are hereby directed to cease operations from the effective date,” a statement from the State House indicated. The government condemned the gaming industry as “exploitative” and stated that the ban would safeguard the youth from becoming “a generation of compulsive and addicted gamblers.”
However, in March 2017, just months after taking office, President Barrow lifted the ban on betting. GAP characterized this decision as a grave mistake that must be rectified immediately.
“Now even children under 18 are actively participating in betting and other forms of gambling,” Batchilly remarked. “This poses not only a threat to their future but also to the stability and progress of our nation. The increase in crime rates, financial irresponsibility, and addiction among the youth is linked to betting,” he added.
Batchilly further linked the rise of gambling to the growing number of school dropouts. “Betting and other forms of gambling are significant contributors to crime, theft, and indiscipline,” he contended, stressing that the get-rich-quick mentality is causing parents to lose control over their children and fracturing families.
Despite arguments that gambling generates employment and economic benefits for gamblers and revenue for the government, GAP contended that its long-term negative effects far outweigh any short-term economic gains. “A nation’s advancement is determined by the strength and integrity of its people, not by an industry that thrives on exploitation and despair,” Batchilly asserted.
Recently, the National Assembly Members for Basse and Serrekunda also expressed concerns over the growing number of betting companies in the country and called for government intervention to prevent gambling from harming the youth.
“The government must prioritize the well-being of its citizens, especially the youth, by enacting strict laws to shield them from this destructive habit. The time to act is now before we lose an entire generation to the dangers of gambling,” one of them explained.
