(ERGO) – Displaced women living in camps on the outskirts of Galkayo are being lured into the prospect of making quick money on gambling sites, often losing all their property and savings and being left in financial ruin.
Halimo Mohamed Jama, a single mother with nine children, lost the small shop that supported the family on gambling sprees on the popular platform 1XBET.
She put all her shop’s inventory and money she took on credit into gambling, believing she would make a large profit after other women she knew had won money. At first, she had some small wins on the online betting site that tempted her to carry on – until a big loss wiped out everything she had.
“It ruined us – it finished all the capital I had. When my shop was doing well, some girls taught me to play and I got addicted. In the beginning, I put in half a dollar or one dollar and got a good amount of money back. I withdrew some and played again. Sometimes I won and sometimes I lost but, in the end, I lost everything – my shop is now ruined,” Halimo told Radio Ergo.
Since her husband died five years ago, she had borne all responsibility for the family. She started her business three years ago with a grant of $300 from various aid organisations. Now she can’t cover the children’s basic needs.
“I put the children to bed hungry last night, and this morning they had no breakfast. I have no lunch or dinner for them either. There is nothing in the house. When my shop was open, my children went to school and had three meals a day,” she said.
She is facing pressure to repay her total debt of $650 that includes money she lost gambling and amounts she took from a wholesaler in Galkayo for her shop.
“The wholesaler is demanding their money. Last night I was called and wanted to switch off my phone. People are looking for me everywhere in the city. We want our money, send the money to our mobile, if you don’t pay, we will have you arrested – that’s what they’re saying. I have nowhere to get the money,” she wept.
Fadumo Hassan Osman, a mother of 12, also fell into financial ruin because of 1XBET. She lost her vegetable stall that supported her family and struggle to cook even a meal a day.
Before she started gambling, she used to buy 25 kilograms each of flour, rice, and sugar, along with 10 litres of oil every month. She also set aside money to save.
“I am in a desperate situation. I have nothing to give them. I beg my neighbour for a kilo of rice or pasta. If I can’t find vegetables, we eat sugar with it,” she said. “Before I started gambling on 1XBET, our life was fine. I used to clear my vegetable supplies debt, and had money for the children and to buy food, so our life was good.”
Fadumo’s business made $5 or $6 a day. She was convinced that if she put more money into gambling, she would win back much more.
However, she ran up a debt of $750, all of which was spent on gambling. She regrets learning about 1XBET, which she says ruined her life.
“The person who taught me to gamble caused me to lose evreything. It took a lot of my money; I would bet on everything I saw. I have so much regret because I my money has been taken. They advertised 1XBET to me and told me I could get a lot of money from it, up to $1,000. And I thought to myself that I’d win,” she said.
Four of her children had to drop out of school as she couldn’t pay the $30 fees for May and June. She said the gambling and her losses have caused a lot of conflict within her family. Her elderly husband had warned her to stop gambling, but she never listened.
Abdinassir Abdullahi Ali, an economics lecturer at Galkayo university, said the number of women gambling has increased.
“1XBET has a financially ruinous effect. It is an addiction that forces people to put in all of their assets. When they bet with their family’s money, conflict arises in the home. The government should solve this social problem, in collaboration with telecommunication companies, to shut down the places where online gambling can be accessed,” he advised.
Abdinassir also called on religious and community leaders to stand up against gambling by conducting strong awareness campaigns and organising counselling for those involved in the bad habit.
Although the Federal Government and regional administrations have several times announced the prohibition of 1XBET online gambling site, it is still being used widely across Somalia.
