A part-time teacher and digital satellite installer, Joshua Adu Guni, is calling on the public for support to get over his addiction to betting.
Joshua says he needs support to undergo a rehab to help him overcome his addiction having lost so much funds to betting, including money meant for his father’s medical expenses.
In an interview with Zionfelix posted on Instagram, he shared how he started betting in 2019 while he was schooling.
“I started betting in 2019, but my addiction deepened in 2020 when a friend introduced me to roulette at a casino.
“He didn’t exactly teach me, but he used my phone to place bets and gave me money when he won, which piqued my interest,” he stated.
He says he was working with his uncle at Kasoa at the time and gradually lost GHC7,000.00 that belonged to his uncle through betting.
Joshua explained that he sold some materials for his uncle and when he wasn’t around to give him the money in time, he resorted to betting with it in bits until he lost everything.
“My uncle asked me to sell his plumbing materials, and after doing so, I had GH¢7,000. I tried to give him the money, but he wasn’t around. Three days later, I started using the money to gamble bit by bit, and before I knew it, it was all gone,” he stated.
The young man explained that the development caused a friction between him and his uncle who was sponsoring his education at the time. The uncle withdrew his financial support and Joshua became a dropout.
Aside from the GHC7,000.00, Joshua also revealed that a GHC15,000.00 meant for his father’s medical bills was lost to betting, adding that he also used his mother’s GHC5,000.00 to bet.
Some monies meant for his customers, he added, were also used to bet.
According to him, he resorted to selling his phone after losing a bet sometimes, but went back to betting the moment he got a new one.
Joshua confessed to wanting to break free from his betting addiction, expressing his readiness to receive help.
“I will be very happy if someone wants to help me. If there is a rehab, and someone wants to take me there, I am fully committed. Even if it’s right now, I am ready to stop,” he said.
He has, meanwhile, dismissed the claim that the addiction is spiritual, saying, “someone said it is spiritual, but I don’t believe it.”
Joshua currently lives with his parents in their family home, while his younger siblings are all married with children. He advised the youth to avoid betting, warning that it is “deadly.”
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