Position Paper on Curbing Betting addiction among Kenyan Youth through Policy ans social Intervention

There is no doubt that gambling industry has established itself as a prominent social and economic force in Kenya with significant impact on job creation and revenue generation. It has also expanded avenues and opportunities for Kenyans in entertainment and socialization and opened opportunities for advertising for newspapers, radio and TV, but those seem to be too few benefits compared to the negative effects of gambling in Kenya. Rataemane and Ligthelm (2003) have shown that gambling is disease that requires cure. They have demonstrated that like other medical conditions such as alcoholism, gambling can be addictive and addicts need rehabilitation to be cured of their disease. Recovering gambling addicts admit that it started little by little before they found themselves in the deep pool of gambling misery. Gambling is a serious problem in Kenya that threatens to bring down the nation. Families have lost their savings as a result of gambling sons and fathers. There is not a single family which has not been a victim of gambling by a member of the family. Some families have lost massive amounts of money in family savings due to gambling