GAMBLING UPROAR
Civic groups against plan to have electronic bingo in shopping malls
SOME of KwaZulu-Natal’s biggest shopping centres want to have mini casinos on their premises. KZN Finance MEC Belinda Scott and the KZN Gaming and Betting Board have received applications from 12 malls to install electronic bingo terminals on their premises. They include the Galleria Shopping Mall, Liberty Midlands Mall and Southcoast Mall.
The malls want Scott and the board to amend their trading conditions and allow them to register terminals around the province.
A notice to this effect was gazetted on July 22. The public and interested parties had until Thursday last week to file objections to the application.
The Sunday Tribune understands that the board will convene public hearings where objections can be made orally regarding the applications.
Once this process is finalised, the board will decide whether to approve or decline the application.
KZN Treasury spokeswoman Ntokozo Maphisa confirmed that the board had received applications from licence holders.
“The board is now complying with its statutory obligation to publish such applications received for public comment and/or objections,” Maphisa said.
“The board is duty-bound to consider such objections received prior to making its final decision,” she said.
However, several outraged civil society organisations are mobilising against the proposal.
They fear that easy access to terminals will add to the ever-growing problem of gambling addiction. They have come together as The People’s Forum Against Electronic Bingo.
The forum is made up of 21 civic, religious, welfare, community, educational and political bodies, and represents more than 3million people. The province has a population of about 10 million people.
On Thursday, the forum submitted objections to the proposal.
It also plans on making representations to Scott and the board.