Betting is not a livelihood – DACF Administrator tells youth

Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson, has advised Ghanaian youth to resist the growing tendency to treat betting as a reliable source of income, describing it as a recreational activity rather than a means of earning a living.

His advice comes on the heels of public uproar over the recent scrapping of taxes on betting winnings.

While the government has defended the decision as an economic move, civil society groups and religious bodies have raised concerns about its potential to encourage gambling addiction, particularly among young people.

In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Yamson clarified that the government’s intention was not to promote irresponsible betting behaviour, but rather to stimulate economic activity in the sector.

“The betting tax was seen as frustrating an industry, and we have removed it to drive that industry and to drive the volume of economic activity in that sector,” he explained.

“That said, the idea is not to increase irresponsible behavior. What we firmly believe is that betting is a leisure activity, betting is not meant to be a livelihood. And so we subscribe to the removal of the betting tax, at the same time that we are careful to make it clear that betting is a leisure activity—it is not meant to be something that becomes the livelihood of anybody.”

Mr. Yamson further urged betting companies to abide by the law and ensure that minors are prevented from accessing gambling platforms, highlighting the growing problem of children as young as 10 years old engaging in betting.

“We encourage people to follow the law and that operators follow the law so that young people, at the age of 10 and 11, for instance, are not betting,” he cautioned.

To tackle the issue of underage betting, the DACF Administrator disclosed that the government is exploring collaborations with technology experts to implement digital safety systems. These would include using the Ghana Card to enforce age restrictions for online gambling.

“We also eventually need to work with those in the technology space to ensure that even when people go online to bet, we can use mechanisms like the Ghana Card to prevent young people from gaining access to betting sites,” he said.