Ban sports betting now to save the youth of Ghana.

On the 17th of February 2021, Spanish football giants Barcelona hosted France’s own Paris Saint Germain at the Camp Nou. A football match that definitely did not fail to live up to the hype, saw the thrashing of the Catalans 4:1 at home by their french counterparts. As the match was progressing, I took a stroll through the principal streets of Accra and could not believe my own eyes when I saw how packed to the brim betting centers were. I could not tell whether the match was being played here in Ghana or in Spain. I felt a sharp pain in my chest right close to my left ventricle as I descend into deep thoughts concerning the spread of the corona virus. What if one of the people shouting “Goal! Goooooooal!” has already contracted the virus? How many people will have the virus by now among all the people gathered at the various centers? These thoughts stayed with me all night and I could barely blink an eye.

I am very much aware of government’s responsibility to protect the citizenry not only from external aggression but from the citizenry themselves and as someone who is constantly surfing the internet with renowned ardour for information and data, I am very much aware of the havoc the corona virus has wreaked in countries like Italy and Spain. It is therefore very unfortunate that we in Ghana seem to be taking the health measures and outlined protocols for granted. The president of the republic of Ghana; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in his last address to the nation on the measures taken to curb the spread of the virus, has placed bans and restrictions on certain social gatherings like funerals and marriage ceremonies. I am however of the view that social gatherings happen for specific reasons. A gathering at the betting center for instance is only possible because of the betting and sports programs that are constantly being telecast at these places. In order to prevent the gatherings at these places and consequently protect the people from themselves, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo must ban betting or perhaps close betting centers until it is safe for people to converge at these places. This will not only curb the spread of the corona virus but also push the youth to explore other profitable money making avenues.

As Ghana’s number of active cases gradually creep upward, the Ghanaian people have began making honest comparisons between the country’s rather poor health system and the sophisticated health systems of countries like Italy, Spain and the United States Of America. According to some people, if the corona virus could wreak the kind of havoc it wreaked in these American and European countries despite their robust health systems, then Ghana needs the divine intervention of God and all his angels. I can not have agreed any more with the people with this assertion. However, we must note very well that God’s intervention as we are praying for will be of no use if we as a people are not willing and ready to be saved. It is at the back of this assertion that I have seen the need for a ban on betting centers for the time being.

As we patiently wait for the much hyped vaccines, the least we can do as a people is to follow the health protocols and stay at home as much as we can. I am very confident that a good number of people will argue that betting is a source of livelihood for them. Even though I can not disagree with this assertion also, it is important to recall a famous quote from one of the numerous addresses by the president of the republic of Ghana; “we will protect people’s lives, then we will protect their livelihoods”. We can not continue to endanger the lives of the whole population simply because the livelihoods of some people are threatened. For those who therefore wish to engage in betting at all cost, they should be advised to do so from home by using the online platforms. Do you agree with the writer’s assertion?