Tanzania GBT strengthens responsible gambling with temporary betting restrictions
The regulator has introduced measures to temporarily restrict compulsive gamblers from betting and is expanding public awareness campaigns to curb gambling-related harm.
Tanzania.- The Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT) has introduced measures to temporarily restrict compulsive gamblers from betting, as part of wider efforts to curb gambling addiction, particularly among young people. Speaking during the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, which ran from June 28 to July 13, Zena Athmani, GBT senior public awareness and education officer, said the regulator, which oversees 63 licensed gambling companies, is implementing initiatives to reduce the social and economic effects of excessive gambling.
Athmani said the board continues to run its Makinika Kijana, Kubeti Sio Ajira (Be Smart, Young Person; Betting Is Not Employment) campaign to encourage young people to view gambling as a form of entertainment rather than a source of income.
According to Athmani, the regulator uses public education programmes through media platforms, social media, its website and other materials to raise awareness about safer gambling practices and the warning signs of gambling addiction.
Individuals who realise they have developed gambling problems can voluntarily request to be excluded from betting activities for a specified period, Athmani said. GBT can also intervene through its monitoring systems, identifying excessive gambling behaviour, temporarily suspending affected players and offering counselling and education.
“We monitor players, and when we see someone gambling excessively, we can temporarily stop them from participating and provide education because anything done in excess has harmful consequences,” Athmani said.
GBT is strengthening enforcement against illegal slot machines, commonly known as Madubwi. The board has also partnered with the President’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government to train local officials to identify legal and illegal gambling machine operations.
