Ghanaian women resort to gambling for survival

According to the Weekend Today Newspaper, its investigation has revealed that more and more Ghanaian women are resorting to gambling and various gaming centers with the hope of making some quick money. The paper said some residents of Awoshie, Kwashieman, Sowutuom Santa Maria and Kwashiebu, all suburbs of Accra, have expressed concerns over how women were becoming addicted to betting and gambling.

READ MORE:Undying Love: Widower wears honeymoon polo shirt for two decades in remembrance of late wifeUndying Love: Widower wears honeymoon polo shirt for two decades in remembrance of late wifeMany concerned Ghanaians have expressed concern about how the raffle game machines introduced by some Chinese in the country in recent times is resulting in low school attendance among children of school going age.

However, the said investigation has revealed that women have equally developed addiction for the gambling craze. Reports indicate that, they compete day and night with their men counterparts at various game centers.

One of the women, a plantain seller, who the Weekend Today spoke to confessed that, “I just felt like gambling and have been winning every evening. I have cultivated a strong habit of coming to this spot after business everyday to play with the hope that some manna may fall from heaven.”

A 42-year-old kenkey seller at Kwashieman, Juliet Agyapong, revealed to Weekend Today that she was introduced to the gambling business by a friend a year ago and since then, she has never stopped.

READ ALSO:Storm: Delta Airlines pilot defeats Hurricane IrmaConfessing her addiction, she explained that even though there have been many losses than wins she would continue until she hits the jackpot one day. Another 17-year-old school dropout, Aisha Fuseini, from Kwashiebu in Accra, claimed she was also introduced to the game by a friend “and since then, I have been gambling without my parent’s knowledge.” Though Asha knows her family will be unhappy with her if they know about her gambling, she is simply helpless.

“But I have become addicted to it. It’s my prayer that I stop one day,” Aisha revealed.A resident of Santa Maria, a suburb of Accra, Miss Nora Norty, told Weekend Today that “a friend of mine told me about the game and I joined her in playing. So I started, and since then I have been playing. I think it’s interesting… I love it.”

READ ALSO:Crime: Court discharges defilement suspect for lack of victim's birth certificateShe described the gambling as interesting, saying “I am doing this with the aim of acquiring one of the machines. I want to operate my own machine. In fact, the business is good, especially when you play it late in the evening.”

The Newspaper claims that the situation is worse in Ghana’s densely populated slum, Nima, because many unemployed women spend their money on gambling with the hope of “making big cash.”