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<\/p>\nFor Jason Kauhondamwa (37), walking into a gambling house is not a choice \u2013 it\u2019s a compulsion he says he can no longer control.<\/p>\n
After what he describes as months of inaction by the Gambling Board of Namibia, Kauhondamwa is publicly pleading with gambling operators to stop him at the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anybody could recognise my face and stop me from participating in gambling activities, I would be very happy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Kauhondamwa\u2019s appeal comes after he submitted a formal request to the board last August to be barred from gambling establishments, a procedure meant to restrain addicts.<\/p>\n
But eight months later, he says nothing has changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m frustrated and really angry. They never came back to me; they\u2019re not treating me like a human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHERE IT STARTED<\/p>\n
His relationship with gambling began long before he understood addiction, Kauhondamwa says.<\/p>\n
Growing up between northern Namibia and Walvis Bay, he recalls being drawn in as a child after witnessing a celebration of a gambling coup at a bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember seeing them celebrating. One told me he won N$1 000 from a jackpot machine. He said you just put in N$1 and you win N$1 000,\u201d Kauhondamwa says.<\/p>\n
That moment stayed with him.
\u201cI left, but the story of winning was fixed in my head. I told myself I\u2019m going to look for N$1 so that I can also win N$1 000.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he began collecting bottles to fund his habit and, despite being under-age, he found ways to access gambling venues.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still under 18, but I was very tall, so my height helped me get into places,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
What started as an occasional activity soon escalated.<\/p>\n
Kauhondamwa recalls losing N$200 meant as payment for school registration, while pursuing a profit of N$20.
\u201cThe biggest problem was that I would lose everything I gained.<\/p>\n
I felt I was not growing, because I spent all the money I won,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, no one knew, because I would always hide it from my family \u2013 until they figured it out on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kauhondamwa says by his early 20s, he began questioning his behaviour.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something wrong with me. When I get money, why do I always do this?\u201d he says he used to ask.<\/p>\n
He describes his addiction in simple terms: \u201cWhenever I have money, I visit a gambling house.\u201d<\/p>\n
After doing research online, he came to a difficult realisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read stories online, trying to compare them with my own behaviour. That was when I realised I really am an addict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Kauhondamwa estimates he has lost around N$500 000 through gambling.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps the most I\u2019ve lost in one day is N$8 000. That\u2019s why I am pleading with the nation to help me. I don\u2019t even have a house or a car because of this gambling addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kauhondamwa lives with relatives.<\/p>\n
Beyond financial loss, he says his addiction has taken a toll on his mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it was a kind of schooling for me. Now that I have the knowledge, it\u2019s up to me to go out there and educate others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kauhondamwa says he was aware that approaching the gambling board to be officially banned from gambling establishments was likely to be a slow process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew there will be some obstacles, It\u2019s going to be a marathon,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
But what angers him most is the lack of response from the authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve said they have discussed it but they\u2019ve never got back to me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
He says for him, the issue is no longer personal, but institutional.<\/p>\n
GAMBLING BOARD<\/p>\n
Gambling Board of Namibia acting chief executive John Erastus says the board has considered Kauhondamwa\u2019s application to be registered as a restricted person.<\/p>\n
He says this has to be communicated to licensed gambling establishments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development of an interactive register with licensed establishments is taking longer than expected,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the interim, we advise Kauhondamwa to desist from accessing gambling establishments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erastus says Kauhondamwa may contact his office if he requires help with counselling services.<\/p>\n
IT\u2019S A DISORDER<\/p>\n
A psychologist at Eureka Psychological Services says gambling addiction is a recognised mental health condition that develops over time and can begin at a young age.<\/p>\n
Ceaseria Mutau says gambling addiction, clinically referred to as gambling disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), develops through a combination of psychological, behavioural and neurobiological factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt often begins as recreational or social gambling, but becomes problematic when the behaviour is reinforced over time, particularly through occasional wins which are intermittent rewards,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Mutau says early exposure to gambling can shape beliefs about money, risk and reward.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, individuals may begin to associate gambling not just with financial gain, but with emotional relief, excitement, or escape,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She says with gambling addiction, pathways similar to those seen in substance-related disorders are activated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis creates a cycle where the individual feels compelled to continue gambling, even when losses accumulate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mutau says gambling eventually becomes a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety or distress.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndividuals may experience persistent anxiety, guilt and shame. <\/p>\n
Some report depression, and in some cases suicidal thoughts, mainly caused by financial distress that escalates into family conflict and social isolation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Mutau says by the time financial losses become visible, the psychological burden is often already significant.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Eureka Haus, a mental health facility located at Brakwater, Windhoek, we admit patients into a structured inpatient programme, particularly when the behaviour has escalated to a level of loss of control or significant psychological and financial harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such programmes provide a protective environment by removing immediate access to gambling while offering intensive therapeutic intervention, she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis addresses underlying drivers and equips individuals with sustainable coping strategies before returning to daily life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Mutau says when individuals publicly plead to be barred from gambling establishments, it reflects both personal distress and systemic challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cGambling addiction is not the failure of willpower, it is a recognised mental health condition that requires timely, structured and compassionate intervention,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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