Students have been warned against turning betting into a livelihood, with authorities cautioning that the habit can bring serious financial and social consequences.
The Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (MAGLA) made the warning on Friday during a Responsible Gambling Awareness Outreach at Holy Family College of Health Sciences in Phalombe, held as part of Africa Safer Gambling Week 2026.
MAGLA Public Relations Officer Nancy Malata said students and other gamblers need to understand their limits and know where to seek help when betting becomes a problem.
“The main aim of this campaign is to sensitise the masses and players regarding responsible gambling. The main focus is player protection,” said Malata.
She said gambling should be viewed as entertainment rather than a job, business or guaranteed way of making money.
Malata added that all licensed gaming operators in Malawi are required under the Gaming and Lotteries Regulations to display messages encouraging players to gamble responsibly.
“Operators have also been participating in the Africa Safer Gambling Week campaign by sharing responsible gambling messages through their various platforms,” she said.
Phalombe Police Public Relations Officer Sergeant Jimmy Kapanja said betting can create confusion because some people treat it as entertainment while others depend on it for income.
“Betting can bring some confusion because there are some people who rely on betting as their source of income, while others just take it as a game of entertainment,” he said.
Kapanja said organisations such as MAGLA and the Police therefore need to work together to educate people about both the benefits and consequences of gambling.
Student Dalitso Mselebo said the outreach had changed how students viewed betting.
“As students, we have learned that betting is just a game, so we cannot take betting as our source of income,” he said.
The awareness campaign also mixed education with entertainment, with musician Driemo performing some of his popular songs, including Pensulo, Follow, Joker and Hendede.
His performance had students singing along, creating an engaging atmosphere during the outreach.
Comedy and drama group Wannatix also performed a drama depicting some of the challenges and negative consequences associated with gambling.
