The South African Police Services working together with the North West Gambling Board officials continue to fight against the rampant illegal gambling operations in the province.
On 11 February 2022 in Mmakau, near Brits an operation launched by the South African Police Service assisted by the officials of the North West Gambling Board, three (3) illegal Bingo Merry gambling machines were confiscated and three (3) Somalian males were arrested for being in unlawful possession of such devices without the approval or the license to hold such from the North West Gambling Board.
The officials were conducting routine crime prevention inspections to rid the area of these devices which are mainly used to target young school children.
The three arrested individuals were issued with fines of two thousand five hundred each.
“The price the communities pay as a result of these unlawful activities is quite dire and I wish that this kind of crime could be punished with much heavier fines including imprisonment said the Gambling Control Manager of the Board, Mr. Simon Mogapi. These kinds of devices lead to children at times bunking school as they engage with these devices placed mostly in tuck shops. Some of the serious crimes we are witnessing in the country start with unlawful gambling which may in the beginning appear to be innocent and later lead to children stealing in order to feed the craving or addiction to gamble. Later, substance abuse and violence would creep in leading to other hefty crimes”.
“We need to intensify our operations by forging partnership with our other stakeholders to fight and curb these crimes at an early stage” said the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bafana Mabale.
More operations are planned to take place in other districts of the province as the Board tries to assist the industry in its recovery subsequent to the declined economic situation which was brought by the effects of the Covid -19 pandemic.