Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, wants betting shops near educational institutions to be closed down to discourage minors from using them.

The establishment of betting centres near schools is prohibited by state law.

The Gaming Act 2006 (Act 721) emphasises that betting centres are expected to operate 100 metres away from schools, churches, mosques, and other social facilities.

However, some gaming centres are spotted around educational institutions across the country.

Following this, the Education Minister, visited the headquarters of the Gaming Commission of Ghana on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, to deliberate on the way forward regarding the sanitization sanitising the space for the sake of minors.

During his visit, the minister urged the commission to ensure the strict enforcement of the gaming laws.

He called for stringent measures to be taken against gaming facilities that violate the laws, particularly, those established very close to schools.

He, however, commended the Commission for its role in controlling operations in the industry. He further implored the Commission to critically examine the location of betting centres in the country, especially near schools.

On how both institutions (i.e the Education Ministry and the Gaming Commission) can work together to prevent schoolchildren from engaging in gaming activities, Dr Adutwum declared his willingness to collaborate with the Commission to ensure this.

The Minister also appealed to the Commission to consider assisting people with betting addictions so they could move out of the addiction.

The Education Minister called on all stakeholders in the country to help protect the youth of the country, who are preparing to take over the leadership of the country.

Source: The Independent Ghana| Jessie Ola-Morris