Topic: A Resident commissioner stops gambling operators. (Read 654 times)

I completely agree with you! The commissioner's decision seems overly harsh, especially considering the potential impact on unemployment. Gambling agents who follow regulations should be allowed to operate. Moreover, banning offline agents won't stop people from gambling online. A more nuanced approach is needed to address concerns without harming livelihoods.

What he did was misuse of power, normally before any casino or bookie would launch their land based casinos, they must have acquired the required license and documents that can allow them operate without be stopped by the government buy this case said that the reason why the commissioner took such action is because of the crime committed by gamblers and not because the agents are not operating legally.

Maybe the government thinks that the root of the problem come from gambling especially with illegal casino that running in many places. So they want to carry out the clean-up for illegal casino that don't pay taxes to the government. The government lose too much money from the gambling business if many illegal casino operate in their country. Besides that, many people like to playing in the illegal casino because that will be more free than legal casino because there are less rules compare to the legal.

First off, I don't know if what is the meaning of resident commissioner, so I searched it up a bit and found out that it is related to the government, I mean they can also decide about some legal issues. Very different from what I thought it was, as I thought it was someone who gets a commission similar to a gambling agent. That made me wonder on why they will also stop their other co-agent members when both of them are only gaining a benefit from what they are doing.

Now to answer the question laid out, I'm not against with the decision of this RDC but as long as it was already proven to be true that gambling is really the cause of the crimes happening on that town.

Analysis is the best solution, after that you can really determine what is better, with gambling in this area or not. But I'm afraid that the commissioner does not have time for this and usually they make abrupt decisions, for example prohibitive, even without a chance of comparison. However, it is difficult to make forecasts I do not know the specifics and mentality of the people and players of this area. But if we take the average, then I think that this will still reduce the crime rate a little. Another thing is that players will always find ways to play, for example online, but they simply will not have a place to gather everyone in one place.

Well and of course they will not experience any problems or negative impacts in their lives due to gambling, so I think it is true as I said above that the ones who are wrong in this situation are the gamblers themselves because they treat gambling in a way that should be avoided, logically the commissioner will also not take the decision to close all gambling agents if the people there gamble responsibly.

On the other hand, the commissioner can actually still do other things that are lighter for the gamblers there, such as increasing the consequences of punishment for gamblers who commit various crimes, but maybe the commissioner has done that but it is still not enough to make those people feel deterred, meaning the decision to close all access from casino agents in my opinion is the best decision, because that way the gamblers will have to stop.

It can also be that stealing money from gambling operators would be more convenient for the thieves rather than any other shops.
There must be a reason why the thieves are targeting gambling operators right.
Another thing the commissioner can do is to temporarily restrict the gambling operators from running their business and analyse the theft rate in the area.
This will help them identify the root cause as well and may be he will be able to catch the thieves then.

These are land based gambling shops which are already registered and are paying taxes, without being registered and obtaining the license of operation, they can not even open the business and start operations. So, by right they are operating legally and in my opinion, the commissioner is not supposed to start closing down gambling operators in that town unless there's an order from the government which is meant to be effective in the whole country. If one town in a country is band from gambling, does it mean that the citizens can not travel to other town to gamble?

The commissioner can't just wake up and lay such enforcement on the casinos like that if they haven't been proven guilty unless the gambling has incited it citizens to illegal indulgences and extremely irresponsible gambling habits of the people.
Although in situations like this, not every of the gambling sites could be guilty as accused by the commissioner but may have generalized it act to every gambling sites being potential to such as accused.
If this news is confirmed, then let us wait for scrutinization because those other legally approved gambling sites would be resumed while the guilty ones would scamper for judgement.

I think the main issue here lies in the number of casinos operating, with some not being properly regulated. Stopping gambling altogether would be like cutting off a significant source of revenue, which would be a wrong move. Instead, why not focus on finding solutions to minimize gambling-related crimes without immediately resorting to closing down casinos? A more balanced approach could address the problems without harming the industry.

But the problem is not many people can hold them back from doing crimes especially if that money will be used to playing gambling. They will doing many things so they can have money to be back to playing gambling and doing a crimes will be a fast way to have money because they can rob some people on the street or even steal other people's money.

Those people who gets deeper in gambling and lose their money wants to back to gambling and gets their money back. They will do all things they can to have money so that is why we hear about the crimes percentage increased. It needs concern from the government to eradicate this things including to gamblers who often does crimes to have money and just use that money to playing gambling.

Exactly if gamblers didn't exceed and do those crimes just to have money to sustain their gambling activities for sure the commissioner won't do that decision.

But since as said the crimes or other illegal activities is already been growing, then its expected that he would do some action since that is his job to maintain the peace and order on their place. This is also how they can control the situation and I don't see anything wrong about it. The stoppage of operation by gambling operators is done by abusive gamblers and people cannot mock those people who's working in the government since they are doing those people a favor since if they commit crimes then for sure that there would be huge consequence on that action which those people might regret later on.

Well, that's the business model they follow and they aren't the ones creating any losses for gamblers at all. The gamblers lose because of their own luck and or failed strategies and unawareness about gambling responsibility, and for that we can't blame those operators.

If the commissioner has shut down the business of those operators who had legal license and weren't doing any corrupt practices then he hasn't done right to them because he literally destroyed their source of income, however if they were doing something corrupt then it was a good step taken by the commissioner.

This is the source --> https://nilepost.co.ug/crime/234121/rdc-butaleja-cracks-down-on-gambling

It's not about legalities of the casinos that are operating in the area. But about the effect that it had made to many of its residents that became gambling addicts.

Because the gambling addicts have became thieves and done other criminal acts for them to have money to gamble.

Actually if we talk about who is wrong in this situation then I think the ones who are wrong are the gamblers themselves because they treat gambling in the wrong way or the wrong way so that in the end it causes various bad impacts that make them walk in despair to do various unexpected actions such as crimes just to realize their desire to continue gambling.

But yes stopping all gambling access by closing all the casinos there is an idea that is no less good, because that way all the problems will most likely be easily resolved, but maybe not completely, oh yes in this situation maybe I would say that the second party can also be blamed in this situation.

If you have provided a source for this news, it would be better answerable when we read true. Atleast having the view directly from this commissioner.

But then, if we should have to look at it as narrated, I am sure we would agree to it that there are certain illegal casinos that are legally not approved.
Then it would be convinceable that for such casinos to operate in such a way, there must be level of suspiciousness of them potential to criminal activities.

I also don't want to be biased specifically to this case and this country, but I think that the poorer the country and the area where the casino is, the more likely it is that bribery can flourish there, because the big money and winnings that are spinning around this establishment can haunt many people who are in positions against the backdrop of poverty in this area. Moreover, they all know each other there by sight and there can be informal relationships between them, especially since formal relationships are extremely difficult to maintain when everything is in poverty and ruin.

Yes, the commissioners know very well and understand the profits made by the gambling industry operating in their area, maybe the commission or tax side is irregular, I think cases like this often happen in every country, It would be a good idea for the commissioner to stop or reorganize the profit rules for the commissioner's authority in the area.

My understanding is that Butaleja, which is located in the city of Uganda, has definite rules regarding the provisions of the gambling industry, so it is not surprising if the commissioner temporarily stops the gambling industry there, of course to stabilize income for the commissioner, I think so.

I think the commissioner would have acted according to the rules of the government of the country or the state where this theft is happening.

The question is what is the primary responsibility of government? That is the protection of lives and properties and a government official can evoke that duty of government under the law when necessary and the need arises. Such commissioner to me has not acted ultra vires to the law or contravened it as the case may be but rather has evoked the political powers of the state to make sure there is sanity, peace and tranquility in his jurisdiction.

If you are going to gamble in an area, you should be sure that you are not going to lose your belongings including phones and money and I think that is the purpose of the lock down, to ensure there is security and sanitation of the place by investigating the cause of the theft and apprehend offenders. Moreover, government would be making money through the agents on tax so there is need to ensure security of lives and properties.

It is back to their people on how they use gambling. If they know how to treat gambling as a fun activity and they don't use too much money, they will not doing crimes. People doing crimes to have money but if they use that money for gambling, that will not be good for them because they can addicted to gambling easily. Maybe casino needs to apply strict rule for those people so not many people can playing gambling and the government needs to educate their people not to rely on gambling to make money. But we know that gambling tempt them to make money so that makes people still gambling.

I don’t see it that way. If we follow the proper process, it should go like this:

1- The government approves licenses for gambling operators.
2- Casinos operate and generate income.
3- Casinos pay the correct taxes.

so, if the government believes gambling is linked to illegal activities, why would they approve it in the first place?

I think the bigger issue isn’t gambling itself but the lack of proper law enforcement. Instead of addressing their shortcomings, they just shift the blame to gambling which I think normal for corrupt leaders.

Yes, that's true. If these people are licensed to operate, the only people who can stop their operations are those higher-ups who are mandated by the law to stop the operation if they deem it right to do so; if not, the commissioner will be charged and suspended. If the commissioner has the power, these operators only option is to relocate their operation to another region.

If you ask, I would say a country like Uganda should not allow gambling locally. The country has a lot to do and they have a long to go. No matter how you set your rules, crime will continue to increase in a country like Uganda if you allow gambling locally. Some of my countrymates do business in some African countries including Uganda, where their business often gets attacked.

The lawmakers and the police are mostly corrupt. If you cannot control something, then you should not allow it. I believe there are no casino monitor systems in Uganda. All those gambling agents or operators doing illegal business that do not have a license.

I think this is a bold step and as well will put a stop or limits some illegal activities that had been generated from irresponsible gambling habits, some people might be thinking it's actually wrong for the commissioner to have done that but then looking at the crime rates and illegal activities it's all generated from gambling simply when an addicted gambler want to meet up with his gambling habits.

I believe it’s a bold move by the commissioner since there’s no law against them when it comes to government regulations. From my perspective, gambling operators are not necessarily the root cause of the problems in this situation, but they only do play a role in enabling it. Gambling can lead to addiction and when people start losing more than they can afford it can push them into desperate solutions which are not solutions like theft or other crimes just to recover their losses. 

However, I logically think that shutting down the operators or slot machines may not address the deeper issue like poverty and lack of education on responsible gambling, which is the case in most African countries. It feels more like a short term fix than a real solution. The focus should also be on creating awareness or providing alternatives for those struggling and regulating the industry better to prevent exploitation. It’s a difficult issue, but fixing it needs more than just banning those stores, as they can easily run in black markets, or go to online casinos.

Seriously you don't have to ask, were gambling thrives crimes always follow, maybe they have arrested some criminals and in the end they confess that they need to pay some debt back because they lost money at the casino.

Some casinos are also too good at organised crime, illegal money and embezzlement of funds, they will do all these and hide under the casino company, so whatever they are facing in that city it is for the best.

This is also why casinos can't operate without being registered, even online casinos are the most concerned about crime empire operation, there will never be a room for decentralised casinos.

Adding a link would have been more appropriate, but I was still able to see related news by search. And yes, I think so! According to the link: "The directive aims to tackle a surge in theft and other crimes linked to gambling." If there are no crimes backed by undeniable evidence, the government will not do that but focus on collecting taxes. We all know the evil behind some gambling establishments, the internet is full of stories to back that up. They could aid illegal cash flows which could help the worst heinous activities by simply hiding under gambling to cover for themselves and their dangerous affiliates.

You are probably right and they should first of all think about creating jobs. I do not want to say that a lot of gambling is also good, there should not be too much of it in people's lives so that they do not immerse themselves in it every day thinking how to get rich on it. After all, gambling allows you to relax from work or have fun, and the rest of the time, at least I, devote time to my family, work, because this is the basis of my life. To be honest, I cannot imagine how it is possible to gamble without work and family, but I think there are many such players. The main thing is to set priorities correctly.

The actions taken by the district commissioner in Butaleja to crack down on gambling are understandable if there is strong evidence that gambling has a negative effect in the district, so far gambling is often associated with various social problems, such as addiction and financial losses that can ultimately trigger crime.

However, I personally also think that the commissioner should take more comprehensive steps, because indeed banning gambling alone may not be enough to solve the root of the problem, as we know that Butaleja is a district that has been hit by a lot of corruption, unemployment and poverty, so that to overcome crime, the district commissioner of Butaleja should focus more on the economic development of their current community, so that when the citizens have jobs and a well-established economy, gradually the crime will disappear.

When the welfare of the community there is not so guaranteed and the economic life is unclear and there are no job vacancies, it will demand criminal acts. This is not a matter of whether or not there are gambling machines, because even if there are none, theft will still occur. I agree that from the beginning gambling there was intended only for business, but what is the role of the government in providing income opportunities there? do not pretend to discredit gambling but in reality the government does not care at all to provide jobs.

This may be a good step taken by the commissioner because in reality it actually reduces the commission of crimes like the one you mentioned.
Then we can see the commissioner's concern on the other side in reality.

So, I don't see anything wrong with that, it may be negative for some and they didn't like what was done but if we look at the good effect, it can also be considered somehow.
It may be that the operator also violated something that's why it happened like that.

Being that in Uganda I imagine that gambling is an added problem to the low income people have and all that goes with it. I would be surprised to see such a news item in the UK or the EU, also because a district commissioner has no powers to do that. I believe that this region has many more problems and that what is happening with gambling is just another symptom.

First and foremost I don't think it's right for a resident district commissioner to stop those gambling firms to cease operation in that area, he acted as if he already know that gambling activity could be the reason for the crimes he mationed but be it as it may even though such crimes are on the rise in that area, it shouldn't be a reason to closed down such businesses after all those are businesss that are been owned by individuals and as such those individuals never told anyone to go and thief or commit any financial crimes in other to gamble, for me I see timidity in the action of that commissioner, giving such others may not solve such problems if they do exist because we're talking about a particular district, what happens to other districts, they suspects can still commits those crimes here and go to another district to gamble I think he was in a haste to make decision though I don't know how long it took him to decide on this, but I think he would've weigh options before deciding on the next line of action, although we dont know there laws their but no matter what, thorough investigation is suposed to be made before anything unless the gambling firms are been find guilty of aiding criminal activities in the area.

A lot of things can lead to theft and not only gambling. If economy of the country is poor and people are suffering, there will be high rate of theft. Drug is another thing that can increase theft. The commissioner just did that from his own understanding on how to comb theft. The bet shops should be moved to a rich environment and let's see it theft will increase in such a place. The poor suffers more from the government.

The commissioner is concerned about crime problems, fulfilling his duty to protect society from swindlers, robbers, and other unscrupulous people. In turn, he found a way to stop some crime by banning gambling. There are two truths: one is the Commissioner's duty, and the other is the desire of people to play. I believe that casinos should be located in those countries and areas where the standard of living of people is not equal to poverty since people who are desperate and have lost their last money are like cornered animals ready to commit any crime.

Most of them will be having this kind of approach or mindset because money making is much more important than on the condition of people who do it. Actually gambling business doesnt really require you to play and on the moment that you've seen some platforms or places out there on the place then its up to you whether you do play or not, it will really be in accordance into your preference whether you do stop the business because you dont like on whats happening or will be continuing and wont care about their conditions? Business minded people will really be having this kind of thinking because business is business, as long they can make money then they dont really care on what are the situations that you might be ending up into as long they can make money on which this is their main priority.

Wherever businessman who builds gambling place must only care about developing his business and does not care about the impact or various problems caused by gamblers because they only provide place and various game machine to be able to generate profit money, related to all problems that occur and are done by gamblers are entirely the responsibility of each individual and it is their own fault for not being able to control themselves.
When someone is addicted and truly dependent, even if place is closed and cleaned up against casino or gambling house, it will not affect anything because the gamblers can still go to other places outside their area of ​​residence or use online gambling to fulfill all their desires in gambling, I think what commissioner does will not really run perfectly if that is the only reason.

When we do speak about crime rate in overall then there's really a few reasons on which these things do happen and not really just that on gambling alone. If these operators had seen that there's a sudden spike when it comes to the numbers because of building up a business into their vicinity then they will be able to notice it out but if they will be trying out to compare before and after on which if there's no changes when it comes to numbers then its a good but if there's a jump then its impossible that for you not to be able to determine on whats the root cause. Good thing on here is that these operators are really that in concern into their fellow country men and really that mindful about into the effects that it did give. We cant make out some conclusion that it was because of gambling but to know that theres indeed a possibility.

Kudos into these operators on which at least they do show off some concern about it because if you arent that showing off some concern into other people then you wont really be thinking off any kind of these actions and will be deciding to run the business and makes money with it because once that people do get addicted then it will really be that hard to stop and if it comes into a time that you dont have money then it will really be that resulting to crime and other correlated things on which this do simply brings up that harm and bad thing to the society. Its just good that these operators do sees out that problem and had stopped on which its a good move.

A commissioner could have the power to do that as long as there are laws in the country that support his decision. Otherwise, it would be an illegal action if the commissioner pushes his decision even if there's no order from the higher position in the government. Or if gambling is legal, then it shouldn't lose its operation as easy as that.

You did not drop the link to the story, maybe I would have gotten more details about the story and the real reason why casinos operators have been stopped from operating in that region. If truly casinos over their have been involved in criminal activities, I believe all casinos over there are guilty of that offence. Focus and attention should have been channelled towards putting in place regulations and strict supervisions on the casinos to fish out the bad ones. Stopping all casinos from operating will not only affect the casino owners, it will greatly affect the casino workers who has been displaced from their jobs. The action taken by the commissioner is a reflection of his hatred for gambling and not necessarily because he cares about the welfare of the gamblers.

Personal I think it's way too much to take such action, perhaps sanctions can be given from a particular period of time to reduce the rate of gambling activities instead of shutting down gambling business in that area of society with force, it will of course affect the business owners. I might be bias here because I'm from another country I definitely have no clue of what's happening over there or how it happens but in my opinion it's not right to take such action.

There are root causes to crime in every country which is basically lack of vital social provision which I believe can be the real issue but governments when they can't figure out how to escape some budget they tend to push the problem to a sector of the society that has little contributions to social vices hence this action displays an incompetent commissioner looking for an area to show his strength in order not to be considered in active.

I believe everyone head of state knows what is good to their people and what would also save them from distribution, maybe he felt so insecure about the gambling operators who were there and noticed that lot of people are going into some unlawfully things just to raised money to gamble. Things like this can effects a heads of state to speak against gambling or any activities that is promotion such evil or practice within their State or geopolitical zone.

I support the resident district commissioner to go after illegal gambling operators. They are the ones that can contribute to increase criminal activities.

Illegal gambling operators are not bound any rules. They have no regulations. They have no terms of service. They have no gambling operating license. They just operate, they can tamper with the machine to work in their favour always. They can set the unfavourable gambling rules that steal from the gamblers. And these gamblers will not be able to report them because they are not under any regulatory body.

What we need are gambling operators that are regulated by the government. And that do their business within the law.

The decision by the Butaleja District Commissioner to crack down on gambling is a drastic measure, but it may be justified if gambling is indeed correlated with an increase in crime and robbery in the area... There needs to be more research and news on this before making a judgement or not, but one thing is for sure... Gambling operators, often motivated by profit, may not fully consider the impact of their activities on the local community.

Gambling, when unregulated and accessible to all, can lead to significant social and financial problems as the most vulnerable people may fall into debt and subsequently commit criminal activities to pay it off, so cracking down on gambling can be seen as an attempt to address the root cause of gambling-related crime in the area.

This is clearly not the right way to go and I agree that a more balanced approach needs to be found, as I have never seen anyone ban people from drinking alcohol because it increases crime. Gambling can be a form of entertainment and leisure for many, and a complete ban could lead to illegal and less regulated operations, making the situation worse rather than better.

Hmm I guess that's the same as blaming the casino for something you want, isn't it? meaning I disagree that the casino or the agent there is the only root of the problem, because after all I'm sure the agent or casino there does not tell or even force gamblers to continue gambling or tell gamblers to commit crimes such as stealing money to finance their gambling activities,
I think most of us would agree with this statement because after all gambling is nothing more than a choice, meaning that the impact experienced by gamblers has nothing to do with the casino or agent who provides gambling activities there, but it is not wrong for Butaleja to take the decision to close all gambling access there for the safety of its people, but one thing, don't make the provider the wrong party because clearly the ones who are wrong here are the gamblers themselves who treat gambling in the wrong way.

Well if those cases gone to worse and crimes is raising up due to gambling in those places I guess there's nothing wrong with what the resident commissioner implementing since he's just concern about growing crimes in his jurisdiction and he don't want to lower down the bad cases brought up by gambling addiction.

For sure the commissioner do some study or base his decision  on the investigation don so we cannot blame him or say that he is wrong on why he do that action. Since for sure he already see how worst the situation that's why removed the reason on why people commit a crime.

If you are in that place then see if a decline of crimes happening you can say that what he do is effective. But if those unfortunate incident still happen then I guess he cannot pull of those blames to gambling.

what he did was as an “easy” fix it seems like he didn’t want to just put in some effort to actually tackle what was happening and make gambling as safe and harmless as possible for everyone i do not even think he was thinking of the benefits of gambling at all which could have helped his people as well

he just erased the entire gambling industry leaving gambling operators with no chance to even defend themselves and make a living i feel like there should have been a better way to handle this while still catering to all gambling operators, gamblers and those who are concerned with their safety against gambling-related crimes

It might be but if the commissioner has done a case study and able to figure out that it is gambling that's the main reason why there's a surge of thefts and crimes in that area, he has a justifiable action. But if there's a conflict of interest there and he's got the same business from his or relatives then that's not justifiable. IMHO, this is a good action done by him because he's got the initiative to stop them even if they're bringing money to the government. Although the effect of it is much more impactful then.

But I thought before this gambling operators, who mount their machines in that place, start that business, they have some license that gives them a permit to operate around those areas for which they pay levies and taxes. If the commissioner can just give words for those machines to be removed, what happens to the business owners? There should be a legal way to follow up on such a thing and give them a duration for when it can be removed.

The reason is not about gambling why thefts are rampant. It is because many people are jobless and uneducated, hence, they are resorting to this kind of activity for them to survive. If the government will provide them jobs or at least have access to decent jobs, even working for minimum wage  - I believe people will have less time in gambling and thefts will surely go down.

They are seeing gambling activity is the main reason of this unlawful act because people are looking for ways how to earn money. And for them, this is the easiest way - to rob someone to gamble. Give them other reasons to earn and I can say, the stats of stealing will go down.

I don't think Uganda has reached a point where allowing gambling to become widespread makes any sense at all.

If the majority of the population had access to water education and food, then ok. But many people in that country have never had access to proper life quality standards. The government should work on being more social centered rather than corporate centered.

So it's a decision on the right track, so long only as it will be followed by social policies. But I highly doubt it to be completely honest.

surge in theft and crime being linked to gambling? if we start to crack down potential root cause of theft and crime, you will have to stop at least 30 other business before getting to gambling because thieves can decide to operate using any medium that is most convenient with them be it through crypto, POS operators, banks and even through the regular drivers in the environment. well, if the place were gambling activities takes place becomes an hide out for thieves, then i can be in support of such action even though what ought to be done is to do away with the root cause of the gambling which is poverty, unemployment and the hunger that is a major problem of the society, once this is fixed, then with or without a short down on gambling facilities, crime will reduce drastically.

I see it that its a misconception that stealing and other vices arouses from gambling, gambling in it self isn't and doesn't amas to all of those crimes and vices accredited to it, it is only only addicts who get dirty with their habits, working towards helping addicts would have been the best way rather than closing donw casinos.

In poor countries like Uganda of course the gambling activity can lead to a lot more trouble than usual, especially linked to theft and robbery as when poor persons gamble and they don't think that much before heading into gambling and lose money then they are far more prone to vandal acts compared to people who lose money in US and Europe for example. So the commissioner in this case for me has done the right thing to stop gambling activities in a poor country which can contribute to better society and improving their finances rather than focusing on earning money through gambling and a burned dream that you can get rich fast with it. Every business, including gambling is only concerned about profit but the government is there exactly to look over their citizens and if they found out that gambling incites violence it is in their right to stop this violence.

I think the country itself is supposed to be blamed for this and the reason why I say this is because maybe the people over there are living a life below average standard because I feel gambling and poor standard of living results to many crimes and if the government can't regulate that, then they shouldn't pin it on gambling because to tackle the crimes there are certain protocols to tackle rather than banning gambling.

This is another attack on the wrong set of people because gamblers are not the ones committing the crimes around Uganda and other African countries, the rate of corruption among government officials and inflation is the root cause of crimes in most African countries, so why is the commoner attacking gambling businesses, maybe their want to divert attention and blame the wrong thing for the own inability because I am sure that the commissioner is part of the problem of the country that leads to increase in crime.

Shutting down gambling houses won't solve the issue and problem of insecurity it will increase insecurity if there is no place for people to get entertainment like gambling, so the politicians in not right, in this regard.

There's a saying that you shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. According to the source, the commissioner wants to remove gambling machines to stop the increase in crime rates in the areas where gambling is allowed. So instead of fighting gangs and trying to track down and sentence people who commit these crimes they fight gambling because it attracts the criminal element.

Do they really think the element will disappear along with the machines? These people will just move to illegal gambling sites, or turn to mugging people in dark alleys.

Some medications get banned from the market due to heavy abuse by people, some due to their inability to regulate it and control how people make use of it but if were to question who’s at fault here who do you think should be punished? Is it the company producing it? Is it the pharmacist despensing the drug (even if it’s an Over The Counter medication?), is it the government agent that are responsible for regulating the drugs?

The same thing applies here, those gambling agent just want to make money and they can’t start questioning their customers where they go the money they are using to gamble from, and also the government didn’t provide enough jobs if not those gamblers won’t have turned to gambling as a source of income which eventually led them into stealing and since they didn’t find anything and anyone to put the blame on they instead chose the weakest one which were the gambling agents, since those ones can’t oppose them.

That acts won’t stop the stealing it will only increase it since those gamblers that might not know how to operate an online casino will still be on the street and since they no longer have somewhere they can gamble to probably double the little amount they had they’ll now have to rely solely on stealing - that’s what the government doesn’t understand - don’t attack the gambling agents instead provide a means for the gamblers and criminals will use to make a living.

In other words, some guy from a town of 24 000 people, which lies only 1 km from three other towns has decided that closing down a few gambling shops will magically solve the problem and nobody will ever think of walking 1 km instead of 300 meters to gamble in the next town. Also, it will magically stop crime because no way the guys addicted to gambling were stealing stuff from elsewhere too!
Talking about non-sense no news!

This will have as much effect as saying banning gambling in the City of Westminster will stop gambling in London.

From by personal point of view, kicking out gambling and betting operators from a town will not guarantee there will be an increase in the quality of life of those who life there, in the end those who decide to continue to gamble will always find other ways to avoid doing it at broad daylight, they go underground.
Instead attacking legitimate businesses, the mayor of a town which is facing economical problems should instead tackles the root of those economical problems: lack of employment, access to education, investment into infrastructure, anything which create wealth or added value to the resources and people of the nation themselves.
If we are talking about people who is willing to mug others for the sake of their addiction, restricting places to bet won't stop the problem completely.

Though, we must recognize, nobody within an economical position in which is considered to be poor should engage in gambling to begin with, but there is no way to stop the poor from gambling.

I am not sure if I can answer your question, especially since I am not a citizen of the country we are discussing in this thread. But usually criminal cases occur due to weak systems and laws in a region or country. In the case of your thread, there is a "spike" in theft and crime. Local authorities or law enforcement officials should be able to take action against criminal acts. However, if it is associated with gambling, casinos or gambling agents, the answer could be that things like this are the root cause. However, all of this must be supported by evidence and data, if gambling is the root cause of the problems that occur in the country concerned. Amazingly, a commissioner is involved in stopping or eliminating gambling agents, I am worried if there is political involvement. However, whatever it is, I cannot give a value, response or answer to your question. After all, criminal or criminal acts will always exist whatever the root cause, especially if there is an opportunity. In several developed countries that legalize gambling, it seems that acts that are criminal or cases of theft are not that large in percentage. So, I think this is a problem with human resources itself. However, the answers to this thread are more specifically aimed at people in the countries concerned.

Thieves know that where there is gambling there is money, so a strong possibility that gambling is what is bringing the crime to the area. Not sure why the town or area couldn't hire some security though instead of shutting down the gambling? Here is the USA casino's pay large taxes to operate, is that not the case in Uganda?

It might have been triggered because the gamblers were not making a profit and the casinos were not playing fair, meaning that no one was winning with the machines they were using, everyone was losing and it would only suck up public money, which might sound logical if that was the case.

It seems from what is written that the casino owners are only enriching themselves and that already proves that their machines are not fair or that they are deliberately doing so, which is why the commissioner made such a statement against the gambling industry there.

No matter how much effort they put into stopping the gambling business, the reality is that they will never succeed. Indeed, there are many cases of criminal acts that are still related to gambling, but it seems that the main thing that must be overcome is to provide education for  gamblers to have good control. Because after all, if they understand and realize that gambling is important for their lifestyle, then they should also maintain gambling to  be viewed well. After all, other countries that have made gambling an illegal activity, but in reality their people can still easily gamble. So, I personally believe that their efforts will not succeed, although they may succeed in closing the gambling business in that environment, but business people will  have it again in a different area.

Honestly, actually I really don't know whether in Uganda has a law that prohibits gambling.
But from what I know is only when a country has set a law to prohibit gambling, whatever the commissioner does can be justified. But if in a city there is no law that prohibits gambling, surely everyone will say what the commissioner did was very wrong.
And if this is related to the increase in the theft that actually depends on the economy of a particular country or city. If indeed gambling there is allowed, surely each casino will provide taxes and of course the economy will be better. Because what I know is that the casino tax is very large and is able to provide major changes to the economy of a country.
So that if in Uganda gambling is a freedom without law but some casinos are forced to close, I am sure it is only related to casinos that do not pay taxes.

It is no secret that corruption and high crime rates are rampant in most poor countries. I am sure that even if they completely shut down gambling, the crime rate will not decrease much. The problem is low incomes, high unemployment, low education, etc. The list is almost endless. If this commissioner thinks that he will solve the problem only by closing gambling, he is deeply mistaken. There is a need for comprehensive work, which depends more on the government than on the population.

In order to answer this question, we need to know on what basis the commissioner reached the conclusion that the increase in crimes is linked to gambling? It would be necessary for a research company to conduct a survey on the motivations that lead people to commit crimes and only after this research company publishes the results of the survey and we see how many crimes in total are committed and whether the greater number of criminals tend to commit crimes because they want to gamble. and we also have to see if Ugandan laws allow gambling machine operators to place these machines anywhere

Even if they can prove that gambling was actually the reason, they can't act like they just order everyone to shutdown it has to be passed as a law by the government and then notice every operator to stop operating within a given deadline then they can knock on doors that still has been running.

The incompetence of government to maintain the security of civilians just deflect the blame onto something else, something that people will believe with no questions asked and when in that situation Gambling always get caught in their political game.

I can somewhat understand the point of view of the commissioner and unless the gambling operators are going to employ their own security (which might not be feasible or even useful if they are unarmed versus armed assailants) or fund a police force at arms length, then this might be the only way to tackle this crime. In an ideal world the police would have enough resources from central government taxation to investigate and stop these crimes at a low level, but it does not seem to be effective here, so in order to secure the safety of the general public - this may be the only option. Gambling operations can channel a lot of money into machines and premises, so they do become easy targets if word gets out around criminal circles.

Instead of gambling operators, why don't they attack those drug lords that spread out drug addiction and push these individuals to do different crimes?2 I think that should be given close attention rather than putting the blame into gambling operators who's only running small businesses in town. Unless if these commissioners also accept under the table funds which I know for sure this is really happening in most areas.

I am surprised to read about this because I have not seen a news like this before where just a commissioner will be given such huge power to ban businesses in the area that he is controlling. Commissioners should not been give such power. If a country and a state legalize gambling, a commissioner does not have the right to ban any gambling in that area. I do not know of Uganda but that is how gambling is in my country.

Could be. We don't have the facts and the records but maybe he does. If something changes in their economy and most of the money is flowing in gambling then there's a reason to stop all of them.
I think that the resident commissioner is just doing his job and I applaud him because he is thinking about the community and not the profits of the local government. I mean, think about it, if the gambling place is making money that means the tax is growing too because it's in percentage.

Then of course there's the crime rate changing. If there's a surge of crime in that same gambling site over and over or anything near its territory then I guess they must stop it first and increase the security there so that they can prevent it. I don't think he is halting the profits of the gambling place, he just want more security for his community.

I think it might be yes because there are some gamblers, particularly those who are addicted and so greedy in gambling that they can hardly stop themselves from gambling just to achieve the desire of their passion. Where others commit crimes such as stealing money, robbery, and others just to gamble.

Though, I also believe that not all gamblers do this or think this way, because I will repeat that the only ones who do this are usually those who are very addicted to casino gambling.

A district commissioner may lead the investigation about the root causes of increasing thefts and crimes, and has the authority to order to stop gambling operation once it's proven the root cause. A district commissioner is in charge of public order and safety, so he can certainly do that as long as it follows the existing laws and regulations on that certain region. However, I don't really think that gambling is the root cause, but it could also contribute to the increasing crimes in that certain district.

gambling might have been the reason for some of the crimes commited but they are not the root cause of the problem.

anyway, I am curious what their plan is after banning the gambling shops, I mean, banning the gambling shops might reduce the crimes but it doesn't really sovle the root cause of the problem of the crimes being commited.

Is there any link between gambling and crime rate? I don't know about this but I will tell you that the resident commissioner is very wrong. Why didn't the resident commissioner push for the creation of more jobs. If people in the community get busy they would not have the time to gamble to make money. How about of the resident commissioner think of ways that will improve the standard of living of the people in the community. It is not rocket science. Less corruption a d more caring about the people and you will not need to blame gambling operators for your failures as the government.

Same scenario in my country when POGO was always involved on crimes in my country. They are now shutdown by the government due to the public demand.

Gambling itself is not the problem rather the people that doing shady things and try to hide in the shadow of gambling. Even without this casino people will still do their crime! The only difference is they will do it in different way but they are still same crime.

Banning casino is just a band aid solution. It’s better to have proper regulations like strict police policies to control crime in the streets.

What happens is that some gambling operators also run side businesses, which may include thefts and drugs dealing. I'm not saying that is the case mentioned on this thread, but it's a real possibility, also present in another places. Probably everyone here know about those famous mafias ran by families which control different illegal and criminal activities such as gambling, prostitution, smuggling and much more.

The issue with physical gambling shops is that in countries where they are clandestine, people also use such places as hubs for every kinds of illegal practices. By stopping these houses from working, authorities are trying to stop every other criminal activities which come with this. The problem isn't gambling itself, but the side activities being practiced in gambling houses.

What was the substantial evidence that linked the recent surge in theft to gambling? or is the district commissioner acting out of prejudice?

Also, because of the political system that is practiced in Uganda, I am not surprised so much because in a fully democratic system, it is an abuse of power/office.

If the government there feels that the gambling industry is the root of the crime problem there, then closing down the gambling practice could be a solution. Especially if the quality of people in the area is not developed and the income is so-so, it not only makes the crime rate very likely to become uncontrollable, but also makes more people addicted. But from what I found out in Uganda gambling is legalized, how does the local government there deal with legal casinos operating? Isn't it when they forcefully close down these gambling operations as a form of arbitrary action? That is a question for me.

Isn't it because a lot of people have resorted to crimes? It has increased the number of thefts that are connected to gambling. There are a lot of people who have severe gambling problems, and that's one of the root causes of it. They could differ in reasons, but the activity is gambling.

It seems that there should be a regulatory approach to these gambling activities so that they can be improved and balanced with safety. If they continue, this will negatively impact society.

There's no excuse for crimes.

They should stops banks because banks creating and making a lot money which bring thief and criminals to rob them or rob the customers who cash out a lot of money.

Closing a business just because the cash flow is huge isn't right, casino is just a business, other business also make a lot of money, the difference is just how they work.

The root cause of thief and crime is money, it's mostly about corruption, not fair tax rate, minimum salary and their culture.

If the corruption is low, the tax rate for rich is really high, the minimum salary is quite high and the culture of promotion isn't how long they've work instead of the achievement, I'm sure the thief and crime would be low.

I did not mention the license is the problem; the commissioner should take things in legal ways because these people have the privilege to operate. If he observes something that leads to his action, then he should come out with a resolution and suggestion so the government agency can revoke the license, because if he takes action based on observation, the gambling operators can take their case to the court. You go by the book because you work in the government.

Let’s get this straight because, some people really need to understand how things work and everything in society seems to work in a delicate balance. Now, your taking away all the gambling stuff right,,, taking away people who worked gambling jobs from there jobs.

Now the question is;
What are you replacing that with?

You don’t create solution by opening up a void. What they do basically with actions such as these is; opening up a void. You do that and you find all those who had jobs and worked gambling jobs, getting out of jobs and creating some of the real problems you hoped to solve.

Have banning drugs ever stopped people from taking drugs? Of course not. You only create a room for drug syndicates and cartels to even earn more money and the business becomes more dangerous.

Is gambling in Butaleja legal? If the casino operator has a license then the commissioner cannot just stop it unless there is a ruling from the Ugandan central government to ban gambling.

Usually gambling operators don't think about the users they just want the business to continue to be profitable from the many gamblers who come, any problems about the surge in theft then this is what the government is worried about, then they will blame the gambling operators when many problems occur.

I suppose the problem isn't the licenses but the loan sharks who wait for gamblers who lose and run to get outstanding loans, which can lead to various illegal acts. I don't favor closing down shops, but perhaps the commissioner has observed things we are unaware of.


Gambling may not lead directly to crimes, but debts can lead to many.

As I know gambling has been in existence right from the origin of man, so stopping/closing gambling doesn't eliminate crime and criminalities because, already human must commits crime where ever they are being found. So, gambling operators are doing their business unlike the normal and usual business we do have out there, and gambling sites aren't the one in charge to tell whom to gamble and not to gamble as I know there is always an age bracket to gambling which is (+18) and any one not upto this age won't be allowed to gambling. Besides if a physical shop is closed doesn't that also stop online access as well?

Not just your country that is cracking down on gambling operators. There are more from Europe, Africa, and Asian countries are also doing the same. If their goal is to stop people from losing money on gambling they would have to do the same on online operators which could be a lot harder to do when they are allowing international online casinos that will be benefiting all these.

Whether they are right or wrong, each country has their own regulation for this. I wouldn't mind offline casinos being shut down as long as online casinos are up and running.

If they are licensed agents, the commissioner has no right to stop operating these agents; they should ask the agency that provides the license to operate to stop the operation because these agents pay for their license to operate. You don't take action based on assumption; you do an investigation and come out with a resolution and suggestion from the gaming agency to revoke the license.
Gambling is not the main cause of crimes; there are some factors like poverty and drugs; they should look into the real cause.

The gambling operators are making good profits from their business but that is also increasing theft.
So cutting of the root cause, which is gambling operators, is a wise decision but that would create loss of revenue for them.
If the gambling operators don't have an issue with that then the RDC's decision is good but otherwise I think, handling the theft in alternative ways should be an ideal thing to do.

The commissioner is not right to do something like this or maybe I am not right but I think each state will have their own different laws and not just local government. Probably the system of government roles in Uganda can be different but this is harsh in my opinion.

Gambling agents are the people that were affected. The gambling agents are offline and having gambling shops which people come to gamble. People going to the agents can easily be known and located. As long as they follow regulatory rules, I do not see any reason such a harsh move that can reduce unemployment should be taken.

There are many people that will still go online to gamble. The betting sites are directly available online without the need of betting agent.

Not so long, I saw one news that actually caught my attention; "RDC Butaleja Cracks Down on Gambling"

Butaleja is a town in Uganda, according to the news, a resident district commissioner orders all the gambling agent to remove their machine and stop operating and the reason for that is to tackle the surge in thefts and crimes that is linked to gambling.

These gambling agents or operators are just concerned about growing their business and making profit from gamblers losses. Do you guys think that they are the root cause of the problem and it was right for the commissioner to stop them first?