At dusk in Kumasi, Mama Adwoa sits in silence. Her son, Kojo, once a straight-A student with bright Ghanaian dreams, now peeks at odds boards on his phone.
He begs for GH₵10 to bet. She gave in, but a week later, he stole GH₵200 from her market earnings. “He told me he had a plan,” she whispers. “Now I don’t recognize my child.”
The Numbers That Haunt. A staggering $3 billion is staked annually in Ghana’s sports betting, with an estimated $50 million flowing freely through licensed platforms yearly.
Nearly 42% of Ghanaians have bet in the past year—an astounding figure for a 30 million-strong nation.
Of those bettors, 74% say profit is their motive, reflecting a desperate hope born of economic strain. In academia, alarm bells ring: about 6,000 students (≈8%) at KNUST deferred studies after allegedly using tuition money to bet.
Papa Aidoo, a father to a second-year university student, narrates that his son knocked out his savings and then sold his phone to chase a block of predictions.
Mama Serwa also said she caught her daughter crying in her room because they went for weeks without light. After all, she bet the generator money.
These narratives, stitched from parents and community workers, echo the same refrain: family after family shattered, hope siphoned by odds.
Teachers describe empty classroom seats and fading eyes, as some senior teachers in high school lament that student attention drifts when foreign leagues play—they’re not in class mentally. University essays increasingly mention locked phones, hostel dropouts, and repeating terms.
The lure of betting has turned Ghana’s youth away from textbooks and towards a GPS of Ghana Premier League odds. Betting addiction becomes a path to criminality.
Michael, aged 19: “I lifted GH₵500 from my aunt’s purse. I thought I’d double it overnight. I lost everything.”
Samuel, just 17, a junior secondary student: “I joined a friend in forging lottery tickets to get playing money. We got arrested… I’m now scared of my future.”
These aren’t outliers; they’re symbols of a nation in crisis, where desperation drives youth into crime.
This isn’t just data or cold numbers. It’s the stolen laughter of children, the tremor in mothers’ voices, the unfinished school assignments, and the broken roads to education. Betting has become a wedge in our families, rusting the spirit of youth once ablaze with ambition.
We mourn a youthful nation that gambled its potential away in the blink of an app. That’s our lament.
We are better than this. We must act now. The Government and Parliament should enforce age checks via mobile money limits, cap daily betting stakes, and introduce compulsory warning labels and public education campaigns.
School authorities and universities must integrate gambling awareness modules, offer counseling, peer-support groups, and also monitor school fees accounts to prevent diversion to betting.
Religious and community leaders must preach healthy risk, hope, and stewardship, and mobilize support systems and safe spaces for youth to talk.
Youth of Ghana, Take Back Tomorrow. Rise above the chase for a quick windfall. You’re more than odds, more than predictions. You’re Ghana’s future writers, engineers, and leaders. Don’t let a fleeting thrill steal your story. Seek mentors. Embrace community. Invest in learning, and your stakes will be lifelong.
Source: Shadrach Assan
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