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{
    "id": 1348059,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1348059/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 193,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Belgut, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Nelson Koech",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to also add my voice on this extremely important Bill. Let me start by saying that it is difficult to regulate gambling entirely. However, I have seen how different jurisdictions have tried to work with regulated gambling. For instance, I have looked at the US, where there is a licence that is given to all gambling shops. The authorities make sure that the regulations are adhered to strictly. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to gamble. It is the same scenario in the UK. Unfortunately, the situation is very dire back home. I will give the example of my constituents. Recently, I visited with the Principal Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Dr Raymond Omollo. Young men and women wake up in the morning every single day to go to the shopping centres to gamble. Such kind of gambling is what is killing the current generation. As Hon. Members, we have a responsibility to make sure that we have a country that produces young men and women of substance – people who do not believe that there are shortcuts to making it in life. Gambling is one of the ways through which our people have been deceived that they can get some money easily and quickly. It has killed families. People have gone into depression. It becomes an addiction. Actually, there is a disease called gambling addiction. When you do not gamble, you feel the depression you get when fighting alcoholism. It is a similar problem. We will have a problem if we do not get rid of it. In fact, we should go further to make sure that strict penalties are given to people who allow the underage to gamble. Society must be shaped by living morally. It will be unfortunate if this House does not provide such legislation. I laud the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture for coming up with such strict legislation and making sure that gambling does not exist within this country. If it does, we should make sure that we have extremely strict laws to disallow the abuse of gambling. There should be certificates given for specific time allocated for gambling. There are those that we cannot regulate easily. We must provide serious legislation like online gambling which happens a lot. So that it is not misconstrued, gambling is a resource and a revenue earner to the country. I just looked at how much it generates in the US economy. It is mind-boggling because it is $329 billion annually but only because there are restrictions. Some cities like Los Angeles are purposely gambling destinations. We must make sure that it is prudent and becomes neat in Kenya so that not every kiosk in the village is allowed as a shop for gambling. You will find young people who have fights with their parents. They want to sell land because they want to gamble. You will find married women trying to go and gamble. Even church ministers going to gamble. Many people in the society are trying to make quick bucks from gambling. Hon. Temporary Speaker, this Bill could not have come at a better time. I truly support it fully."
}