The Gambia has banned gambling, it announced on Monday, denouncing the industry as "exploitative" and saying the government acted to prevent youth from becoming a generation of addicts. The move will hit gaming centres and casinos across the west African nation's tourist resorts and scores of sports betting shops which have sprung up in recent years in the capital Banjul.
"Gambian society has been built on the foundations of promoting positive social values like thrift and integrity rather than negative ones like greed and avarice," a statement from President Yahya Jammeh's office said. "Therefore, it is the duty of the Gambia government to safeguard and promote the public welfare of our citizens." The statement said sports betting and other forms of gambling had recently "mushroomed" and that all lotteries, casinos and other forms of betting were to stop operations with immediate effect.
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