Gambling is defined as, "the betting or staking of something of value, with consciousness of risk and hope of gain'
More likely to be known these days as "gaming" it conjures up troubling connotations.
Yes, I have gambled, I play Bridge and that is a form of gambling, but we play the game more for the camaraderie and enjoyment, and the winners take the other couple to lunch! Heavy stakes!!
I guess it is a form of addiction, I absolutely love my bridge nights and I have also been know to buy the odd "Lottery Ticket"!!
Back in the day the National State Lottery was drawn at the City Hall in Bulawayo on occasions. I had the enviable task of presiding over the draw several times, along with the venerable Peter Rollason, announcing the winners, and the City Hall was always filled to capacity with hopeful winners.
I well remember when gambling was illegal in many parts of the world, South Africans would have to travel to nearby countries to gamble. Betting and gambling were considered a social vice in Zimbabwe initially, although the Sport of Horse Racing has always been popular. We even had dog racing in Zimbabwe many years ago...and today there are more than 20 casinos scattered around the country. However the biggest form of gambling in Zimbabwe is sports betting.
The history of gambling in the United States covers gambling and gaming since the colonial period. The overall theme is one of a general lack of formal regulation (but sometimes significant religious or moral disapproval), giving way by degrees to widespread prohibition by the early 20th century, followed by a loosening of restrictions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
And then along came Online Gaming..... sponsoring virtually every sports event, promising lascivious wins and prizes. An attack on us all, vowing instant wealth and endless fun.What happened to the moral aspect of gambling Is it right to encourage, extoll, entrap, incentivise people to gamble, young people and people who can barely put food on the table for their families
Due to the increase in access and the use of the internet in Zimbabwe, many citizens opt for online gambling. It's becoming more and more popular. Online gambling in Zimbabwe is in the 'grey zone', meaning it is neither legal nor illegal. Yet, it is extremely popular and neglected by Zimbabwe gambling laws.
When I worked at ZBC/TV we had a commission that would enforce moral behaviour in the broadcasting industry.
Songs with explicit words were banned, and every film shown in theatres country-wide had to be viewed in advance by this tightly controlled Censorship Board.
Slowly the realisation is dawning that gaming/gambling and this type of entrapment is not wrong, but it's certainly not right. When will the world wake up, like they did when cigarette advertising became illegal
At last the penny is dropping. YouTube is introducing new rules around online gambling content, the latest update to its content moderation policies.
It is cracking down on content related to gambling as sports betting and other online prediction markets have taken off in the United States.
The platform announced recently it will no longer allow content that directs users to 'unapproved' gambling websites through links, images, text, logos or verbal references.
'We've strengthened our policies that prohibit content directing viewers to unapproved gambling websites or applications,' a YouTube spokesperson announced. 'We will also begin age-restricting content that promotes online casinos.'
With the update, users under the age of 18 and those who are not logged in will not be able to view content that depicts or promotes online betting sites.
YouTube videos that promise to teach viewers how to make money on online sports and prediction markets have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
But regulations around online betting can vary by location, and experts have raised alarms that millions of people worldwide may be at risk of a 'severe gambling problem.'
DSTV and most sports programmes are flooded with betting adverts, every sports event is now sponsored by some gaming establishment. When is the world going to wake up and admit that gambling is as much an addiction as smoking and drinking It will be hard on sports sponsorship, yes, but someone less harmful filled that gap before.
I know I sound like an old Puritan Missionary but, (asking for a friend), who agrees with me