𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐀 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

The Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (MAGLA) on Monday hosted Southern Region-based journalists to equip them with the knowledge to educate the public on responsible gambling and its regulations.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 40 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 from different media houses including Community Radio stations.

Speaking during the opening of the training session, MAGLA Director General Racheal Mijiga emphasized the pivotal role of the media in driving awareness about gambling and its implications.

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦. 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔; 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡,” said Mijiga.

Mijiga urged the media to help dismiss misconceptions, ensuring the public understands gambling as a recreational activity.

“The first responsibility starts with me, as an individual, to understand what is expected when it comes to gambling, the benefits and the ills. The media’s role is to sensitize and drive awareness, highlighting that gambling should be approached as entertainment after meeting other financial obligations.”

“The Authority has made strides in raising awareness. This year, we have intensified our efforts through mass door-to-door campaigns conducted monthly, and outreach programs at trading centres. These initiatives aim to educate people on what gambling is truly about,” explained Mijiga.

Emmanuel Chibwana, Secretary General for the Southern Region Press Club, underscored the importance of journalists being well-informed about gambling and its regulations.

“Journalists need to understand how gambling operates and the regulations involved for them to report responsibly. As you know, MAGLA is promoting responsible gambling, so as journalists, we need to know what responsible gambling is all about.”

“If a journalist knows and has the information, it will be very easy for him or her to inform others. But for somebody who has no information, it becomes challenging to educate others,” said Chibwana.

The training concluded with a call to action for journalists to champion responsible gambling through their platforms, ensuring the message reaches all corners of Malawi.

MAGLA reiterated its commitment to working closely with the media to uphold its mandate of regulating the industry while protecting citizens.