• Government must ban and restrict bonanza gambling machines.
• The machines have now become a terrible nuisance in compounds and communities.
• Gambling is destroying the spirit of hard work in the next generation of leaders and citizens.
Golden Party of Zambian (GPZ) has called on government to consider banning gambling machines dotted around communities.
Party President Jackson Silavwe told Money FM News that gambling machines have disrupted the follow of currency in communities where they are placed as they hoard money for long periods of time, thereby cutting off circulation in poor compounds.
Mr. Silavwe stated that most Gambling vendors have no proper documentation thereby acting as a catalyst for all manner of illegalities in the communities.
“GPZ would like to strongly appeal to the New Dawn Government to ban and restrict bonanza gambling machines in our communities country wide. These machines have now become a terrible nuisance in our compounds and communities.”
“Gambling machines perpetuate crime. In Kabwe’s Nakoli compound, a security guard was mercilessly strangled to death barely a week ago by thieves who broke into a shop to steal coins from the machines. Crimes are also resorted to by individuals wanting to gamble as well,” Mr. Silavwe said.
According to Mr. Silavwe, gambling is destroying the spirit of hard work in the next generation of leaders and citizens, eroding the Christian principles and National values as enshrined in the Republican Constitution.
“This type of foreign investment is immoral. The bulk of bonanza gambling machines are owned and rented out by Chinese nationals. This immoral FDI has to be stopped immediately to save our communities.”
“As GPZ, We find the presence of gambling machines in our communities repugnant. Well-meaning Parents, Church leaders, Civic Leaders and citizens must oppose this assault to our people in communities. Government must move in immediately,” he stated.
He commended Zimba District Council ordering that the Chinese nationals masquerading as investors must remove the gambling machines from the streets.
Efforts to get a comment from Zambia Gaming Association (ZGA) proved futile.