Expand the war on betting addiction

The proposal by the betting watchdog to set the minimum stake that a punter can place at Sh20 should form part of a larger fight against the growing gambling craze among Kenyans, especially the unemployed youth.

It is disturbing that the average bet size per week stands at Sh939, with more Kenyans borrowing to finance their gambling addiction.

For one, the number of unemployed continues growing daily and turning to gambling instead of looking for productive work is not the way to grow an economy.

The Betting Control and Licensing Board must now be aware that despite the painful tax measures implemented to try and deter betting, the opposite is the case.

Clamping down on promoting betting through advertising should form part of the strategy to curb this growing menace.

The thousands of Kenyans staking their lives on quick riches dangled by companies also need to know that the onus of saving themselves from financial ruin ultimately lies on them.

Source: businessdailyafrica.com

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