6th March 2015 If you are into recreational betting or gambling, or you are a full blown addict, you might want to skip Gambia as a holiday destination, as government has now condemned the activity as detrimental, and have effectively banned it in the country. The new law which is not favorable to gaming shops, casinos and the industry at large, was enacted because Gambia’s government deems gambling to be exploitative and so have effectively outlawed it in the country “to prevent youth from becoming a generation of addicts”. The Gambia is not the first African country to do this, Uganda also did recently, advising youths especially that Gambling was not the route to escape poverty.
Gambia’s president, Yahya Jammeh said in a statement that “Gambian society has been built on the foundations of promoting positive social values like thrift and integrity rather than negative ones like greed and avarice, therefore, it is the duty of the Gambia government to safeguard and promote the public welfare of our citizens.”
The office of the presidency also issued a statement saying “One often sees pupils as young as seven years of age lining at kiosks during school hours and spending their lunch money on purchasing sports betting tickets, also, families often go hungry because household incomes are wagered in gambling dens, and as a result, the Gambia government will not allow such unethical and exploitative businesses to operate in the Gambia and will now effectively take all actions to prevent the young of the Gambia from becoming a generation of compulsive and addicted gamblers.
As of now, all lotteries, casinos and other forms of betting have stopped operations.