Ban me, gambling addict pleads

For Jason Kauhondamwa (37), walking into a gambling house is not a choice – it’s a compulsion he says he can no longer control.

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.

“If anybody could recognise my face and stop me from participating in gambling activities, I would be very happy,” he says.

Kauhondamwa’s 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.

But eight months later, he says nothing has changed.

“I’m frustrated and really angry. They never came back to me; they’re not treating me like a human being.”

WHERE IT STARTED

His relationship with gambling began long before he understood addiction, Kauhondamwa says.

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.

“I 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,” Kauhondamwa says.

That moment stayed with him.
“I left, but the story of winning was fixed in my head. I told myself I’m going to look for N$1 so that I can also win N$1 000.”

He says he began collecting bottles to fund his habit and, despite being under-age, he found ways to access gambling venues.

“I was still under 18, but I was very tall, so my height helped me get into places,” he says.

What started as an occasional activity soon escalated.

Kauhondamwa recalls losing N$200 meant as payment for school registration, while pursuing a profit of N$20.
“The biggest problem was that I would lose everything I gained.

I felt I was not growing, because I spent all the money I won,” he says.

“At the time, no one knew, because I would always hide it from my family – until they figured it out on their own.”

Kauhondamwa says by his early 20s, he began questioning his behaviour.

“There’s something wrong with me. When I get money, why do I always do this?” he says he used to ask.

He describes his addiction in simple terms: “Whenever I have money, I visit a gambling house.”

After doing research online, he came to a difficult realisation.

“I read stories online, trying to compare them with my own behaviour. That was when I realised I really am an addict.”

Today, Kauhondamwa estimates he has lost around N$500 000 through gambling.

“Perhaps the most I’ve lost in one day is N$8 000. That’s why I am pleading with the nation to help me. I don’t even have a house or a car because of this gambling addiction.”

Kauhondamwa lives with relatives.

Beyond financial loss, he says his addiction has taken a toll on his mental health.

“I believe it was a kind of schooling for me. Now that I have the knowledge, it’s up to me to go out there and educate others.”

Kauhondamwa says he was aware that approaching the gambling board to be officially banned from gambling establishments was likely to be a slow process.

“I knew there will be some obstacles, It’s going to be a marathon,” he says.

But what angers him most is the lack of response from the authorities.

“They’ve said they have discussed it but they’ve never got back to me,” he says.

He says for him, the issue is no longer personal, but institutional.

GAMBLING BOARD

Gambling Board of Namibia acting chief executive John Erastus says the board has considered Kauhondamwa’s application to be registered as a restricted person.

He says this has to be communicated to licensed gambling establishments.

“The development of an interactive register with licensed establishments is taking longer than expected,” he says.

“In the interim, we advise Kauhondamwa to desist from accessing gambling establishments.”

Erastus says Kauhondamwa may contact his office if he requires help with counselling services.

IT’S A DISORDER

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.

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.

“It 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,” she says.

Mutau says early exposure to gambling can shape beliefs about money, risk and reward.

“Over time, individuals may begin to associate gambling not just with financial gain, but with emotional relief, excitement, or escape,” she says.

She says with gambling addiction, pathways similar to those seen in substance-related disorders are activated.

“This creates a cycle where the individual feels compelled to continue gambling, even when losses accumulate.”

Mutau says gambling eventually becomes a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety or distress.

“Individuals may experience persistent anxiety, guilt and shame.

Some report depression, and in some cases suicidal thoughts, mainly caused by financial distress that escalates into family conflict and social isolation,” she says.

Mutau says by the time financial losses become visible, the psychological burden is often already significant.

“At 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.”

Such programmes provide a protective environment by removing immediate access to gambling while offering intensive therapeutic intervention, she says.

“This addresses underlying drivers and equips individuals with sustainable coping strategies before returning to daily life,” she says.

Mutau says when individuals publicly plead to be barred from gambling establishments, it reflects both personal distress and systemic challenges.

“Gambling addiction is not the failure of willpower, it is a recognised mental health condition that requires timely, structured and compassionate intervention,” she says.

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