Our lazy leaders taking coins and allowing sports betting to destroy our kids – Economist

Development Economist and Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr Michael Ayamga-Adongo, has condemned the leadership of the country for allowing gambling in the form of sports betting to fester on because of the little tax revenue the country gets from betting companies, arguing that the negative generational impact on our children cannot be compensated for by the tax revenues we generate from these companies.

For him, while children in affluent and developed countries are taking advantage of technological advancements, those in poor countries such as ours are busy with sports betting while ultimately makes them uncompetitive in the global space.

“When you take a drive across cities and even deprived rural areas in Africa the nicest building are not schools, not vocational training centres and not businesses.

The nicest building are gambling centres subtly renamed sports betting centres. At prime time our electronic media does not teach production, investment, integrity and patriotism. It advertises betting. While kids in rich and developed countries are thinking of the opportunities 5G present, kids in poverty-stricken Africa are discussing odds between wolves and Manchester United,” he bemoaned in a post sighted by MyNewsGh.com.

The Economist put the blame at the doorsteps of our leaders whom he describes as lazy and shortsighted for allowing gambling in the guise of sports betting to go on unimpeded, stressing that the destruction of the menace on our children cannot be offset by the taxes or bribes they take from gambling companies.The Economist put the blame at the doorsteps of our leaders whom he describes as lazy and shortsighted for allowing gambling in the guise of sports betting to go on unimpeded, stressing that the destruction of the menace on our children cannot be offset by the taxes or bribes they take from gambling companies.

Many people, notably security analyst Alhaji Irbard Ibrahim, have condemned the proliferation of sports betting centres in the country arguing that the phenomenon has an enormous adverse effect on us as a people, especially on children.