(JollofNews) – The Gambian regime of President Adam Barrow has lifted a presidential decree issued by his predecessor which banned lotteries, casinos and all forms of gambling in the small West African country.The decision is part of the government’s plans to transform the Gambia into an attractive hub for investors and to create employment opportunities for youths.
The ban on gambling was imposed two years by former President Yahya Jammeh to end the ‘unethical and exploitative businesses’ as well as to safeguard and promote the welfare of the Gambian people.
Speaking at the time of the ban, Mr Jammeh said sports betting and gambling dens have in recent years mushroomed all over the country and pupils including seven year-olds often line at kiosks during school hours and spend their ‘lunch money’ on sports betting tickets. He added that many families now often go hungry because household incomes are wagered in gambling dens
He added that as Gambian society was built on the foundations of promoting positive social values like thrift and integrity rather than negative ones like greed and avarice, it is the duty of his government to safeguard and promote the welfare of his people.
The Gambling industry is one of the highest employers in the Gambia. The industry employs thousands of youths with decent wages and also pays millions in tax to the government.
I was happy to introduce plans to provide a horse race course and infrastructure into The Gambia; The project involved one of the top race horse trainers in the UK.
It was to include the backing of respectable gaming offices in the UK with training and sponsorship and finance with stakeholders and investors; The plan was rejected by the APRC. Sorry about that.
It was a sure fire way to attract the Higher earning and spending tourist from around the world.
I thought Tourists come to the Gambia, for sun surf, and sex in a bid to leave their dark, dingy and sexless gambling den behind. Why would anyone come to sunny gambia only to locked behind closed, dark, smelly, noisy, anxious, aggressive gambling dens and, just to be paid in Dalasis – a currency that depreciates so rapidly, that by the time the machine dishes it out, it already worth less than its value. How would you like to exchange you pounds for dalasis, win big, but cannot even get back the amount of pounds you originally started with. And what sort of a repeat customer would you be if that happened to you once, twice or three times.
The fact is it will be poor gambians who will pay with, nothing less than theirs, and their families’ lives to keep the Gambling industry afloat. True one or two Brits on sex tourism might come in to please their catch of the day, but their collective spending would not be enough to sustain the industry – yes not even with horse racing!
You can go invest if senegal, they bet on horses over there. But if the truth be known, Gambia does not have the regulatory framework in place, or social security safety net to deal with the scourges of Gambling at the moment. If they are confident that Gambling can be sustained, them all Gambling machines should be made at accept only $ or Euros, or Pounds coins or notes, with payouts also in these currencies. Then loses, and gains can squarely lie where they fall. But Payout in Dalasis is clearly unsustainable.
It is an unwise decision to lift the ban. One of the wisest decision of Jammeh was this ban. Gambling is a cancer that destroys families and the socio political genre oof any people. Nations like the US, UK etc are decaying and dying with gambling, low income families are grossly affected but will not tell the world. As a UK citizen i know. The banned should not be treated as political but a social one. President Barrow was ill advised to lift the ban. Gambia does not need gambling money to prosper.
No questioning of where all the money for the above average wages, and taxes paid come from!
Of course that money comes from the, close to95% of the rest – the impoverished punters of course!
This is bad economics, as it leads to stealing, alcoholism, drug taking, breakdown in the family structure, violence against, mostly, women and children – including malnutrition! Where is the future in all that!
As for a professed muslim country to be hedging its bets on Gambling revenue – satanic, and according to the Koran riba – that’s wickedness to the extreme!!
Where are all the religious leader who were railing against some of the excesses of the Jammeh regime, calling it ungodly in some cases? Why are they silent on the scourges of Gambling: a disease much worst than Ebola, except that unlike Ebola the most insidious effects of Gambling, like drug addiction can take years, if not decades to rip through a whole generation, manifesting itself through domestic violence, uncontrollable urge to steal, break- and enter, cheating, robbery, laziness, malnutrition, anger, frustration, depression, insomnia, excessive risk taking, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution -all for a short term boast in revenue- and hawkish investment $s.
GAMBILING is UNISLAMIC, and ungodly for a very good reason. Isam has long worked out Gambling sucks the energy out of good productive work. Moreover, where there is Gambling, there cannot be much savings! It is savings that can be turned into investments. And without national savings investment can only be possible through borrowing. So with this policy watch both Government debt and, now, private household debt going with it through the roof. They will be lots of bankruptcies, and it would be the womenfolk and children who will bear the brunt of that in hunger, malnutrition, dead in child birth, lack of education – all because of wrong headed short term focused government policy, and of course, just like in Jammeh’s time, an utter lack of, or a strategic unwillingness on the part of those we have chosen to represent us to, exercise of moral authority and come out in force to oppose the wanton destruction of the very fabric of our society. A community already reeling from years and years of neglect, pig headedness, coupled with a lack of moral courage to say, or do anything about it.
What would Barrow, the Real Estate Mogul know, or care about the social impacts of
Gambling? But watch this space, for Gambling is the real Satan, and will prove to be the last straw to break the camels/Gambia’s back.
I am against state sponsored exploitation of any kind. Gambling traditionally is a despiration activity by people of little means involved in a game they cannot win against an opponent that will never loose. The only winners are men and women with high net worth. I am sure this administration can come up with other ways of economic improvements and empowerment.
God Bless The Gambia
I think President Barrow has seen how the new financial centres of the world like Dubai, Hong Kong, South Africa, Mumbai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi built their infrastructure, commerce and economic powerbase. Satellite connections means all kinds of sport draws in the crowds. And Billions of sustained revenue.
A race course is one means>> but it is followed by golf resorts and 5 star hotels Money transactions and millions of well paid jobs.
I mean Jammeh talked about this many times but could never raise his game to to see the wood for the trees.
Its no different to playing the stock market. Its just another business profit and loss account>> and its fun.. Something Gambians are short of.
You of course are a part of the explotative few scronging on the sweat of the common man who will bear the brunt of this cancer . Why won’t you support it? Children as old as 7yrs we are told are involved, those are not yours, you are not part of the effect. Of course you are part of the cause, what you see is the gain in this cancer and not the pain inflicted on the people.
In what economy guarantees the bringing in of golf courses after the casinos are built? Gambia is a tourist attraction and a destination of choice without the casinos. If the resources are managed properly and reinvested back into the industry, we are looking at a Dubai in Africa.
Tell me which Arab or Islamic nation has a casino. Gambling is evil and produces after its kind.
A Gambian woman farmer invests here small money and labour in seeds and back breaking enterprise for many months praying for the rains to come at the right time.
If the climate does not meet her desperation with some coins, for the next cycle of intense expectation>> she loses her income. This can cause all the social and domestic problems you mention. Then all her investment is washed away in the twinkling of an eye. Her profit turns into loss and misery leading to destitution. No one can blame her for her loss.
Profit and loss can come in any enterprise. The effects on the poor are the hardest to bare.
Any addiction has consequences. To say one addiction leads to other addictions may in some rare cases be true; One can feed off the other. But not in great numbers.
To say all tourists come for sex, is a generalisation too far. You forgot to mention the beach playboy’s and play girls who seek out the disparate middle aged with charms and soft words, only to gain a visa and cause broken hearts.
Arabs have been racing camels and wagering for centuries. Long before the coming of rich oil revenues.
Senegal is indeed a progressive nation. Much respected amongst other nations. I see some of their wrestlers earn upto £30,000 a match So much that the sport now has international standing and interest.
I have Bet on sports all my life. I have also owned race horses. My account is well in the black by many thousands of pounds. Some of which I was happy to spend on community projects in The Gambia. I wish I could have done more>>But those who showed interest in me, were by enlarge only interested in a few coins from my pocket and not the foundations of wealth creation I was aiming to start.
So far I think President Barrow is leading the pack to prosperity. Some may follow, others are content with the status quo.
Choice is a decision made in hope not certainty.
It is the essence of any gamble.
Very wrong and unislamic decision, and also a way to failure may Allah protect us.
Let gambia be like the rest of the globe “normal”never mind unislamic talk. Let people of all faiths do what they want to do and get rid of this stuffy idea of being un Islamic . Murder is unislamic and thieving etc but it happens. Jammeh put a stop to gambling in Gambia while he was taking from the poor and keeping the cash for himself and his greedy family. THATS UNISLAMIC but he did this for years
Congratulations to My friend and fellow honorary citizen of Gunjur Mr Arsene Wenger for winning the FA Cup for a record 7th time.
Mr Wenger co sponsored a soccer tournament the final played on the sands at Gunjur. Gamcel won on penalties.
Congrats to Arsenal. Wow, it’s great to hear that Wenger co sponsored a tourney in Gunjur. I hope he stays. I’ve told my gunners pals: be careful what you wish for. We at Manu know how unsettling losing a great manager can be.
The Gambia is a SECULAR STATE (not an Islamic State), even if more than 50% of her citizens regard themselves as Muslims. I am pretty certain that President Barrow will not be frequenting the Casino parlours or queuing at betting shops because of his religion, but he is head of government in the modern world that needs to raise resources to finance development projects.
If you are a Muslim and you are committed to practising everything that your faith teaches you, then stay away from gambling, just like you stay away from alcohol. And just like the presence of Banjul Breweries (Julbrew) did not bring “bankruptcy, addiction, pegheadedness, blah, blah”, to the many, so too won’t gambling.
The issue of children gambling can be addressed through legislation and education, but adults have a right to dispense of their money any how they choose.
I hate it when people claim that because they are Muslim and Islam prohibits something, then they have a right to stop others from doing it, even if non Muslim.
Please, practice your religion and live your life the way your religion teaches you, but leave others to live their lives as they wish. That way, peaceful coexistence is assured.
Bax: You never miss a good thing until it’s gone. WE will know by Wednesday if the board back him and he gets enough money to build on what Arsenal Have. Yesterday they showed great purpose and determination. Maybe a good time to go ???
I too am a Manu Fan of 60 years>> ever since the Munich disaster.