Gambling addiction in Malawi worries experts

From making K2.8 billion in 2015 to $70 million (about K121 billion) in 2023, gambling has registered rapid growth in the country but researchers have said the success has come with harms, including addiction.

Researchers based at the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit (Meiru), who have conducted studies on gambling in Malawi, say there are many people in Malawi addicted to gambling only that actual statistics are not available.

Malawi has, so far, 12 betting licences under operation, with six in sports betting and four operating casinos and two licences issued under a wide area network.

According to the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (Magla), the betting industry employs 6 000 people and last year it grossed about $70 million (K121 billion).

Speaking in an interview, a senior researcher at Meiru, Chris Bunn, said their study in the country has documented how harmful gambling has led to financial loss and in some cases, loss of life.

He said: “Alarmingly, we have captured how some gamblers face concerning mental health challenges, which in some instances have led to suicide.”

Saint John of God Hospitaller Services coordinator for addiction recovery services Tabitha Dzoole said the problem of gambling addiction is big, but only a few people report to the hospital for support.

“Others do not turn up because either they are not aware of the available support or they do not have money to finance treatment,” she said.

According to Junious Sichali, a social scientist based at Meiru, people in the country are attracted to gambling due to high poverty levels, fewer employment opportunities and desire for a better life.

He said: “There is also widespread availability of gambling outlets. In almost every corner of the country, there is a gambling outlet which makes it easier for people to access gambling and to bet.”

Data shows that in the country, suicide and marriage breakdowns have been some of the recorded effects of gambling.

According to 2021 study titled ‘Case report: A gambling-related suicide in rural Malawi’ by Sichali and other researchers, effects of gambling are well documented.

They recorded a case of a 16-year-old boy, given the pseudonym Wati, who died by suicide in Karonga days after gambling and losing K22 000 belonging to his friend.

Last month, police in Zomba said a woman pulled her husband Valentine Nazombe’s private parts, leading to his death during a fight that broke out due to the woman’s alleged insatiable appetite for gambling.

Magla chief executive officer Rachel Mijiga in an interview said the authority has since January 2023 embarked on an awareness drive to reach out to communities in the remote corners of Malawi to provide information on how they can report excessive gambling.

“Magla encourages relations of people struggling with addiction to contact the authority as it has partnered with Saint John of God Hospitaller Services to take in those addicted for treatment and the authority bears the cost of the treatment addiction programme,” she said.

Mijiga, however, said that during the past calendar year, only one person reached out and was treated.

The Gaming and Lotteries Act (2022) and recent draft regulations found on Magla website contain some measures such as limitations on where gambling premises can be established and fines of up to K10 million or imprisonment for providing sports betting products to minors but these are not enforced.