Cameroon: Dangers of Gambling

A sensitization campaign to dissuade adolescents from indulging into hazardous games and gambling has been launched.

Gambling is fast becoming a main distraction amongst young people, most often it leads to school dropout and pushed them into other criminal activities. In the Littoral capital of Douala most proprietors of game houses have found a new niche around school campuses.

They place their business beside school premises whose main customers are school children. It is on record that a child who is involved into gambling is three times more likely to consume alcohol, four times more likely to smoke cigarettes , three times more likely to use illegal drugs and involve in gang fight and four times more likely to get in to trouble with the forces of law and order.

Against this back drop, the Foundation of Cameroon Consumers known by its French acronym as FOCACO was in GBHS Joss in Bonanjo-Douala on Friday October 11 to call on youths to stay away from gambling and focus on their education. This was during the launching of a campaigned to “stop gambling and hazardous games” that will take FOCACO to some schools in all the divisions of the Littoral region.

While launching the campaign, the Executive President of FOCACO Alphonse Ayissi Abena said they were at the 4th edition of the campaign and so far they have achieved some positive results such as convincing some young people who were into gambling to desist. He used the occasion to educate the young people on the dangers of gambling while adding that the law prohibits minors from delving into gambling. He said that as students they depend on their parents, consequently gambling will obviously lead them to steal which will put them into more problems.

FOCACO president assured the students that Education is the key to their development. He said they are presently working on a recommendation to advised government to ban the operation of gambling houses around school premises. And to ensure that children below18 shouldn’t be found around game houses.

Honorable Marlyse Douala Bell was around to give motherly advised to the students. She added that there is a law on gambling which need to be revised to be more protective of children under the ages of 18. She also installed some peer educators who will go round other schools to sensitize on the dangers of gambling.

Source: cameroon-tribune.cm

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Samuel

I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos.

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Samuel

I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos.