{"id":12355,"date":"2025-11-07T05:08:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=12355"},"modified":"2026-04-19T12:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T15:03:08","slug":"ghanas-minister-calls-for-urgent-action-on-youth-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/ghanas-minister-calls-for-urgent-action-on-youth-gambling","title":{"rendered":"Ghana Minister calls for urgent action on youth gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Minister cited survey results showing that 43.6 per cent of young gamblers reported severe depression, and 68.8 per cent reported severe anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ghana.- George Opare Addo<\/strong>, Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, has sounded the alarm on the growing impact of gambling on the mental health of young people in the country. Addressing the nation on Tuesday, November 5, 2025<\/strong>, during the State of the Youth Address in Accra<\/strong>, Opare Addo described the issue as a “national concern that requires immediate attention\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister cited survey results showing that 43.6 per cent of young gamblers<\/strong> reported severe depression and 68.8 per cent <\/strong>reported severe anxiety. The statistics are based on a 2024 study by researchers at the University of Health and Allied Sciences<\/strong>, which surveyed 403 young adults<\/strong> mostly in the Volta Region<\/strong>. The study, published in BMC Public Health<\/strong>, found that those betting regularly on sports reported the highest distress levels, often tied to losses and the pressure to keep playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opare Addo said: \u201cGambling has exacerbated mental health problems among our youth. The statistics are revealing, indicating that an alarming number of our young individuals are silently battling depression and anxiety instigated by the pressures of gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister pointed to the growth of online betting apps, which have seen user numbers double in Ghana since 2022, based on records from the Gaming Commission. He observed that gambling, although frequently presented as entertainment, has turned into a dangerous trap for young individuals looking for quick wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address these concerns, Opare Addo said his ministry is working with the Mental Health Authority <\/strong>and Gaming Commission of Ghana<\/strong> on a programme set to launch next month. The initiative will include free workshops on budgeting, responsible betting and stress management, as well as the implementation of a national helpline.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded: \u201cThe youth of our nation embody not only our current strength but also the cornerstone upon which we construct Ghana\u2019s future. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are mentally robust, socially supported and economically empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Ghana\u2019s Lottery Authority announces 5,000 POS terminals to modernise operations and combat illegal operators<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minister cited survey results showing that 43.6 per cent of young gamblers reported severe depression, and 68.8 per cent reported severe anxiety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":12357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Ghana's Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, has highlighted the severe mental health impact of gambling on young people, citing survey data showing high rates of depression and anxiety among young gamblers. This issue, exacerbated by the growth of online betting apps, is deemed a national concern, prompting a collaborative initiative with the Mental Health Authority and Gaming Commission of Ghana to launch responsible betting workshops and a national helpline.","focusai_entities":"George Opare Addo, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mental Health Authority, Gaming Commission of Ghana","focusai_location":"Ghana, Accra, Volta Region","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (1.0), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.8), product_ux (0.7), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.9), payments_fraud_aml (0.7), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Regulatory Impact Assessment","query":"What specific legislative or licensing changes are anticipated from the Gaming Commission of Ghana following the Minister's address, particularly concerning B2C operator obligations for youth protection and responsible gambling?"},{"label":"Operator Compliance Costs","query":"How will the proposed national helpline and free workshops impact the operational expenditure and compliance frameworks for licensed iGaming operators in Ghana, specifically regarding mandatory contributions or integration requirements?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60012],"tags":[71,60276,60633],"class_list":["post-12355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-west-africa","tag-gambling","tag-ghana","tag-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12355"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12452,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12355\/revisions\/12452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}