The event held on 31st January 2023 in Kigali, came after the recent suspension of new gambling licenses by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM), further backed up by he Ministry of Sports to ensure continued compliance.
During the event, three entrepreneurs were given floor to pitch their innovations promoting safe gambling.
Kwizera Rulinda, board chair of the mental health journal Rwanda (MHJ), was second to present.
His project, Baho initiative, is a web and mobile application that provides psycho-social support to address gambling addiction through counseling as well as outsourcing to unemployed youth.
The president and representative of Joshua Creativity and Self-grown Solution Association (SGS), Josué Kwizera Uwimana (Fasasie), was the third to present his ’gambling addiction rescue in youth’ project.
"The goal is not to ban gambling because some people win and survive off this game. We want to produce awareness and reduce addiction," he said.
Eric Uwitonze, the winner of the Safe Gambling Hackathon by Crucial Compliance, told IGIHE that after gaining knowledge about Financial/Money Literacy, he now understands the reason people confuse assets and liabilities.
Uwitonze also aspires to create recreational centers with the help of governmental or non-governmental organizations concerned with gambling addiction.
The centers will be a space to learn about emotional intelligence, social change, and monetary literacy among others.
Uwitonze expressed delight for his win and reiterated commitment to help communities get rid of gambling addiction.
"I am happy to be called a winner. I am happy that my project will be financed and developed by experts," he said.
"I’m ready to impact several of our loved ones with gambling addiction issues. I am going to give my support to my community and my society," added Uwitonze.
The CEO of Crucial Compliance, Paul Foster, has told IGIHE that the company is desiring to encourage people to use gambling for entertainment.
"When people start to move out of the entertainment zone into the danger zone, we involve technology to help them make informed decisions," he disclosed.
Crucial Compliance was created to make a difference in the gambling world.
Founders believed that investing in safe gambling could help protect people from entering the danger zone of gambling and still allow them entertainment.
According to Foster, safe gambling can be achieved through different ways; by limiting the amount of money a person can gamble in a day or week, implementing age restrictions, or prohibiting people with gambling addictions from participating among others.
When asked if their investment would hinder the business of betting apps, casinos, and other gambling establishments, Foster assured that those establishments are protected.
One of the things that Crucial Compliance targets, is to make people more aware of that gambling is not a way of making money. It also seeks to contribute to the development of a more responsible and trustworthy industry by ensuring that people can gamble safely.
Individuals with innovations on how to make safe gambling are encouraged to reach out to the company’s staff members via their website.
Related article: Hackathon event to tackle the problem of gambling addiction in Rwanda
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