Police warn over mushrooming gambling dens
Security officer arrange some of the unlicensed gambling machines they impounded from various villages and slums in Kisumu County on October 30, 2016. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Police have also said gambling and betting could lead to delinquency among pupils and secondary school students, who are on a long holiday.
- The youth are forced to look for money for the slot machines and also risk interacting with criminals in the gambling dens, which are rarely monitored.
- The Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino also urged parents to monitor their children as such dens could promote drug use and other illegal activities.
- Investigations have revealed that the Betting Control and Licensing Board is issuing licences to gaming operators without inspecting the location of the machines.
Illegal gaming machines that have mushroomed in virtually every corner of the country are a security threat, police warn.
Police have also said gambling and betting could lead to delinquency among pupils and secondary school students, who are on a long holiday. The youth, police say, are forced to look for money for the slot machines and also risk interacting with criminals in the gambling dens, which are rarely monitored.
The Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino also urged parents to monitor their children as such dens could promote drug use and other illegal activities.
Investigations have also revealed that the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) was issuing licences to gaming operators without inspecting the location of the machines.
BCLB, which falls under the Ministry of Interior, is mandated to control and licence betting and gaming premises as well as activities carried out there and also protect underage and vulnerable persons against gambling.
Parents have started complaining that some of their children are stealing money to gamble, according to police.
Last week, eight people were arrested and 47 slot machines impounded in Kisumu County in one of the ongoing operations. Kisumu-based lobby group Watoto Msilie has also raised concern over the mushrooming of the machines even in the slums and villages.
SAFEGUARD YOUTH
The BCLB director has written to all the county commissioners to eradicate the machines.
“We urge you to intensify the mop-up exercise to safeguard the youth and the vulnerable from these illegal operations,” BCLD director Charles Wambia said.
Mr Wambia however said the board had authorised three companies — Lucky Bet, Advanced Innovations and Rambo Resource Ltd — to operate gaming machines at approved premises.
Investigations have however shown that the board was not conducting proper inspection before issuing licences. One of the companies, Bao Zhu International Limited, was issued with a licence to operate in undisclosed locations 10 unnamed counties.
The letter from the board read: “Further be informed that Board officials must be allowed to inspect all locations to control underage gambling and control measures to secure the same in terms of monitoring and revenue generation for the government.”
Legal gambling should only be conducted in licenced betting and gaming premises in a regulated manner, whereby persons under 18 years are not allowed.
The board however said that some of the licences had expired and will not be renewed until after the premises have been inspected and the environment found ideal.
Last month, the BCLB chairman Anthony Kimani Kung’u warned of the possible dangers and directed that a major crackdown be mounted across the country.
He added that some of the machines were being installed by some Chinese in cohorts with some unscrupulous local businessmen especially bar owners.
