A professional counsellor in Nakuru has proposed that counselling centres for addicted gamblers be set up.
The plea comes barely weeks after a university student lost all his tuition money to betting while another committed suicide after losing money he had taken as a loan from a bank.
Ms Jane Kinuthia now says it’s time to set up counselling centres to deal with such cases.
“The addiction to gambling leads to frustration especially when one is losing. They will even sell their assets while clinging on the hope that they will win but the danger is when they have nothing more to sell, they can resort to borrowing and stealing,” explained Jane.
She also added that gambling addiction can also ruin families.
“Misunderstandings, mistrust and eventually divorce comes in for those married, and unless we set up mechanisms to deal with these addicts, we could be facing a dangerous future in terms of marriages for the affected,” said Kinuthia.
Commenting on the same, a resident, Samuel Gitau, said betting is making lazy citizens out of Kenyans who were expecting to make riches the easy way.
“What comes easy goes easy and this betting is proving too addictive. I think the government should think of regulating it before it’s too late,” lamented Gitau.