By Precious D. Freeman
Several citizens in Monrovia have expressed deep concern over the increasing involvement of teenagers in gambling, calling on the government to take immediate action.
Speaking to this paper, Lovetta Sayon, emphasized that gambling among minors is a growing issue that requires urgent intervention.
According to her, children below the legal betting age are often seen engaging in gambling activities, raising questions about how they acquire the money to participate.
“This is a serious concern that needs to be addressed by the government because children nowadays, below the betting age, are the ones people find doing it the most,” Sayon said.
She warned that gambling could lead to severe consequences for teenagers, including financial struggles, mental health issues, and intra-family conflicts.
She further noted that many young people involved in gambling are not working or engaged in any income-generating activities. “These children are not working, neither are they selling, so where do they get money from to gamble? Some of them have gotten themselves involved in stealing and other bad habits just to get money to gamble,” she lamented.
Sayon pointed out that gambling creates a deceptive cycle. “At first, they win a certain amount, and as soon as they start winning, they see it as something enjoyable. But the day they lose, they will go through any means just to get money to play again,” she explained.
She described gambling as a “magnet” that draws people in with initial wins, only to trap them in an addictive cycle of losses. “It gives you a first impression by allowing you to win at the start. But as soon as you get deeper and addicted to it, you start losing more, and you always want to play to recover what you lost,” she added.
Additionally, community members are also appealing to betting agents to be more responsible in their operations. “My advice goes to the agents. They need to help the government by ensuring that children are stopped from betting,” Sayon concluded.
Another resident, Ben Momo, also expressed his frustration over the situation, blaming betting agents for allowing children to participate.
He highlighted that many children are seen betting at street corners, particularly using the Chinese betting machines that have been placed in various gambling locations.
“The agents are not restricting the kids, which is causing harm and leading to a huge number of children betting. The government needs to do something about it. Getting our young generation into betting is not safe for our country,” Momo said.
He stressed that betting is not a sustainable source of income and cited examples of individuals who were once wealthy but lost everything due to gambling. “Betting is not actually a good thing for anyone. There are records of people who were millionaires and went broke from betting,” he said.
Momo also raised concerns about the behavior of children involved in gambling. He noted that teenagers gather in groups on the streets, proudly discussing their betting slips documents that contain details of their wagers—with older gamblers.
“They feel proud of themselves when they win, but they don’t realize the dangers. They even use rude language and insult each other during gambling, without considering whether older people are around them,” he added.
Many citizens fear that if nothing is done to curb underage gambling, it could lead to an increase in crime, school dropouts, and other social problems. “It is not safe for us. The children are becoming very bold when it comes to betting in Liberia,” another concerned resident stated.
Residents are calling on the government to enforce stricter regulations on betting companies and ensure that underage gambling is eliminated.
“The government needs to get on the backs of those betting companies and try to restrict gambling to adults only, not children,” they urged.
As teenage gambling continues to be a major issue in Monrovia, citizens hope that authorities will take swift action to protect the future of Liberia’s youth.