Purple Month – Gambling Sensitization drive launched at Accra Technical University in Ghana
As part of Purple Month, the Gaming Commission partnered with mental health stakeholders to educate students on gambling addiction.
Ghana.- In a bold step to confront rising gambling addiction among Ghana’s youth, the Gaming Commission has launched a powerful sensitisation programme at Accra Technical University (ATU), urging students to prioritise their mental health when it comes to irresponsible betting.
Held as part of the Purple Month initiative, an annual mental health campaign in May led by the Ghana Health Service and Mental Health Authority, the event sought to break the silence and stigma surrounding gambling-related mental health challenges.
The experts – which included the Ghana Gaming Commission, health experts, political stakeholders and gambling operators – gathered to equip students with the knowledge they need.
Partnering with gambling companies
With increasing access to online betting and casino platforms, university students have become a key demographic for gambling. The Commission, recognising this, is partnering with gaming companies to roll out awareness campaigns across tertiary institutions nationwide.
But the message went beyond the odds and payouts. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey constituency, called for a return to emotional honesty and human connection.
“By sharing your concerns with others, particularly parents and counsellors, you will be relieving yourselves of the mental burden that comes with keeping it to yourselves,” she said, according to the Ghana News Agency.
She urged students to resist the isolating grip of social media and instead build supportive, face-to-face relationships.
“Let us care for each other in a world that has an inverse relationship between social media and human-human connection,” she added.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo, Acting Commissioner of the Gaming Commission, said that when problem gambling is left unchecked, it can spiral into anxiety, depression, social isolation and even the breakdown of relationships.
“As a Commission, we found it necessary to educate the students to become ambassadors against gambling addiction and spread the message to other young people against irresponsible gambling,” he said.
As Purple Month continues, this campaign marks more than a box-ticking exercise. It’s a lifeline for mental health among young people.
