Nandlall sounds alarm as some citizens ‘gamble out’ their cash grants

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has raised concerns that some citizens are “gambling out” their cash grants.

Speaking during his programme Issues in the News on Tuesday evening, Nandlall stressed that gambling remains a significant social problem nationwide and reiterated that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is committed to tackling the issue.

“People are gambling out the cash grant. They receive the cash grant and they gone straight to the gambling shops, blow it out. I have photographs of persons going there with the cash grant money in their hands. That is not why the government is giving cash grants. School children cash grants as well as the 100,000 cash grants,” Nandlall bemoaned.

Last year, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that the government will be rolling out a series of national consultations to address a number of issues plaguing society, from gambling and drug abuse to the impact of social media on young children.

President Ali had said he has been bombarded with concerns from families, religious leaders and community advocates about the ill effects of gambling, which has seeped into too many households, eroding savings, imposing financial hardships, straining relationships and fuelling harmful social consequences.

“We’ll consult widely with all stakeholders and those who regulate. Arising out of these deliberations, we will incorporate concrete measures in the 2026 budget to confront and curtail this scourge,” Ali had said.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had also expressed concerns about the issue. During a press conference last year, he had expressed that “it cuts across [all categories]. It happens at some places, even in the workplace. At construction sites, people sit at the top of a seven-storey building, and they’re placing a bet on their phone. [It’s] an addiction, so…it’s really, really affecting a lot of people.”

In the past, gambling was once limited to guests of hotel-based casinos, but with hundreds of betting shops in communities across Guyana and online mobile apps, the practice has quickly caused a major social problem across the country.

Back in October 2025, the Vice President had indicated that the government would be tightening regulations and imposing higher taxes on online gambling after increasing complaints of breadwinners losing their money to this activity instead of taking care of their families.

“We have already made it clear that this gambling that has blossomed and created a series of negative problems for our communities, breaking up families, creating hardship for a lot of single parents, mothers especially, where people utilise the money that they have, the income, to all day be online gambling,” Jagdeo had stated.

Meanwhile, Nandlall revealed on Tuesday that work has already commenced to address the problem.

Govt moving to tackle gambling, drug abuse & impact of social media on children