I’ve always argued that countries like Ghana struggling to make it to the next stage of development shouldn’t be repeating certain mistakes, especially when they have a clear guide provided by those who have already been through the chaos, instability and mess.
Yet, it seems the past of those we aspire to become and even their present only serve as a desperate aspiration—not a guide to manoeuvre the hovering problems and hostilities.
For many years, several boroughs in Britain like Haringey have been pushing for anti-betting shops policies on the back of the proliferation of these gambling shops at every corner. It has been ascertained that, irrespective of the business elements of betting shops, their activities and mass-set ups ought to be regulated.
As far back as 2010, campaigners in Haringey, a borough in North London welcomed a pledge by Labor Party’s manifesto to give communities more control over the high street because of the proliferation of betting shops.
Just a year later, the BBC reported that, UK councils were worried about increasing number of betting shops—and a Local Government Association representative told MPs: “At the moment, numbers cannot be restricted and this results in crime, disorder and misery for local people.” The connection between gambling and crime or betting shops and anti-social behaviour has long been established.
Even with this precedent in place and the foreknowledge that several developed countries are cautiously working to control the establishment of betting shops, the floodgate has been opened in Ghana—literally and metaphorically, every prominent street in Accra and Kumasi has a betting shop.
As usual, we pick something from the West and fail to evaluate its operations or consequence and jump to over do it—even in the face of the problems those who started it faced or are facing.
During my recent visit to Ghana, I drove through Accra and Kumasi asking myself this simple but important question; why are there so many betting shops and who actually controls their proliferation?
We are a struggling country with high unemployment rate; even graduates cannot find menial jobs to do—this is the sort of environment betting shops flourish. Almost every Ghanaian is desperate, the hardship has become unbearable and with the prerequisite ingredient needed for gambling/betting shops to thrive being desperation, Ghana is no doubt the right market for such ventures.
But that’s for business to boom and for those who own these shops to rack in the little the desperate population would lay their hands on. Accra has become a little Vegas, of course without the beauty and financial might of those who run around Vegas.
It’s pathetic that no one seems to care about the increasing number of betting shops popping up at every corner in Ghana—-it’s as though our government officials do not drive through our cities each day to make it to their offices or homes.
Perhaps, we do not realize that, these betting shops are indication of how desperate our population has become—how idle and hopeless the youth who troop to these shops have become.

Even in the West where controls or regulations are effective, the conversation around betting shops has long been going—these businesses are seen as a burden and vigorous efforts backed by legislation are in place to protect citizens from the cunning charm of gambling.
In Ghana, it’s a free market for all—-no one really cares about these young men and women who spend all day in these shops. It has become a jungle where the desperate are being lured with attractive winning potentials to walk-into these shops without thinking twice.
Our leaders continue to fail us—sometimes we can forgive them, but when they simply fail to take a cue from other countries ahead of the race and plunge us into avoidable problems, then we ought not to pardon them. For that’s gross, intentional and wicked.
Probably I should add that, it’s somewhat ironic that betting shops have become such important national monuments in Ghana, a country full of devote Christians and Muslims, whose religions prohibit gambling.
The question, however, remains: who regulates these betting shops that are springing up at every corner in Ghana?

READ ALSO: Refused A UK Visa? CLICK HERE FOR HELP

---

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our daily up-to-date news!!