LA in Danger … As more Youths Gambles

Story by Addotey Michael 

The youths making up the future and the majority of the populace of La municipality consolidates most of their youthful moments engaging in gambling activities to make a living instead of  finding a job and engaging their skills and knowledge in more productive activities to make incontestable wages.

Gambling activities such as sports betting, casino, jackpots and its likes has dominated more La youths activities revolutionizing their interest of getting traditionally paid job to shortcut way of making a living.

This domination among the Youths endangers the future of the municipality as the youths are the future leaders and potential leaders to hold vital responsibilities and positions in La and the country at large. The gambling activities has become a disquieting issue for most of the parents and guardians in the municipality making it thorny for them to direct the path of their wards as the environment is not permitting so.

Speaking with some of the resident parents staying at La “Maami”, the gambling activities have become a well known business in the municipality where even provision shops and drinking bars have it in front of their shops to compliment their businesses. “Everywhere you will pass in town, you will sight this Chinese jackpot machines even at the road sides where children below 18yrs are actively engaging in”, they lamented.

According to some parents, these activities will only hoist arm robbery, bad behaviours, smoking, poor illiteracy, law breakers and disrespectful behaviours from the youths who are the future of La if these activities continues. “La is danger”, they exclaimed.   

According to Daniel Adjei, young, active gambler and resident at the La municipality, the youths find it difficult to get jobs due to bottleneck procedures and “whom –you- know” stigma therefore compelling them to fall on the gambling activities as a resort. “You need to have a degree before companies will be willing to even call you for an interview and majority of us did not get the opportunity for such education”, he exclaimed.

Speaking with some of the operators of these gambling businesses, they told BLG news that, the reason many people are moving into these businesses is as results of its lucrativity and more youths interest in playing it as no skills, knowledge and educational qualifications are needed before one can engage in it. “The capital for starting up these businesses is very small, we don’t even pay taxes currently and registration has not been taken serious,” they revealed.

Finally, some of the residents and parents urged the government especially, LaDMA to join forces with the police service and the La Traditional council to properly regulate this gambling activities so as to prevent under 18yrs from engaging in these activities.”The locations of these gambling businesses should be checked to prevent people from operating it at anywhere they find their selves because some people operate it in front of their shops and even their homes making the gambling games easily accessible”, they pleaded.