Influence of Demographic and Psychological Factors on Attitudes Toward Sport Betting Among Young Adults in Southwest Nigeria

Regulation of gambling in Sub-Saharan Africa: findings from a comparative policy analysis

OBJECTIVES

Commercial gambling markets have undergone unprecedented expansion and diversification in territories across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This gambling boom has popularised the uptake of gambling products in existing circuits of popular culture, sport and leisure and raised concerns about the extent to which state legislation is equipped to regulate the differentiated impacts of gambling on public health.

STUDY DESIGN

Comparative policy analysis.

METHODS

This article provides a systematic mapping of the regulatory environment pertaining to gambling across SSA. The review was conducted by obtaining and triangulating data from a desk review of online materials, consultation with regulatory bodies in each territory and the VIXIO Gambling Compliance database.

RESULTS

Gambling is legally regulated in 41 of 49 (83.6%) SSA countries, prohibited in 7 (14.3%) and is not legislated for in 1 (2.0%). Of those countries that regulate gambling, 25 (61.0%) countries had dedicated regulators and 16 (39.0%) countries regulated via a government department. Only 2 of 41 (4.9%) countries have published annual reports continuously since the formation of regulatory bodies, and 3 (7.3%) countries have published an incomplete series of reports since the formation. In 36 (87.8%) countries, no reports were published. Enforcement activities were documented by all five regulators that published reports.

CONCLUSION

The review uncovered a lack of coherence in regulatory measures and the need for more transparent public reporting across SSA territories. There are also variations in regulating online products and marketing, with most countries lacking apt guidelines for the digital age. Our findings suggest an urgent need to address the regulatory void surrounding online forms of gambling and the promotion of gambling products. This underlines the importance of a public health approach to protect against an increase in gambling-related harms.

Gambling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional Forms and Emerging Technologies

Purpose of Review

The gambling industry in Africa has seen substantial growth and evolution over recent years with a growing body of literature describing these shifts. Here, we provide a narrative synthesis of the extant literature on the origins, trends and consequences of the expansion and intensification of the commercial gambling industry in sub-Saharan Africa with a reference for future research on gambling as a growing public health concern.

Recent Findings

The historical shift and permeation of gambling in sub-Saharan Africa is diverse with evidence of certain countries following a neo-colonial logic. Advances in technology have made gambling more accessible and created new markets in Africa. A key motive driving gambling on the continent is a lack of stable employment. While the intensification and growth of Africa’s gambling industry has brought economic benefits to some African investors and individuals, this has been accompanied by a range of gambling harms. Legislation and policies designed to better regulate the gambling industry and redress these harms are needed. In this context, a small number of services and campaigns designed to mitigate gambling harms demonstrate promise, but more research is needed in this area.

Summary

The gambling industry in sub-Saharan Africa has undergone a dramatic transformation. While it is true that the growth of the African gambling industry has provided an additional revenue stream to governments, it is also necessary to acknowledge the concurrent rise in gambling addiction and the health-related and social harms that it elicits. As such, designing effective regulatory measures and policy interventions that can reduce the public health burden of gambling harms is vital. However, these interventions need to take in to account the significance of cultural differences that exist among countries on the continent.

The Gambling Behaviour and Attitudes to Sports Betting of Sports Fans

Survey responses from a sample of nearly 15,000 Australian sports fans were used to study the determinants of: (i) gambling behaviour, including if a person does gamble and the type of gambling engaged with; (ii) the number of sports and non-sports bets made over a 12-month period; and (iii) attitudes towards betting on sports. The probability of betting on sports decreased with increasing age and was lower for women and people with a university education. This gender difference varied with age, with the greatest difference found among the young. Similar effects were observed for the number of sports bets made, which declined with age. The gender difference in the number of sports bets also varied with age with the greatest difference found among the young arising from the high propensity of young men to bet on sports. Attitudes to sports betting were also analysed, with a key finding that, within friendship circles, the views that sports betting is perceived as harmless, common and very much a part of enjoying sports were stronger among young men. These permissive attitudes were stronger among people who bet on sports and those who bet on sports more frequently. The analysis of sports fans provides insights into the characteristics of the target market most likely to bet on sports, which can be used to inform public health initiatives and harm reduction campaigns.

Gambling-related suicide in East African Community countries: evidence from press media reports

Background

Gambling activities and associated mental health problems have become a topic of increased concern globally. Many individuals with a severe gambling disorder have gambling-related suicidality. However, no study has explored gambling-related suicide in East African Community (EAC) countries. The present study investigated the press media reporting of gambling-related suicide cases from EAC countries.

Methods

As there is no established suicide database in that region, media reports were utilized to collect gambling-related suicide data. Gambling-related suicide case reports were searched for in EAC countries’ press media websites using Google. After removing duplicates, a total of 18 suicides were found.

Results

The victims were all males aged 16 to 40 years. The most prevalent reason for the death was university students who had used their university tuition fees for gambling and losing the money (n = 4/17). All the suicide deaths were in Kenya (10/18), Uganda (7/18), and Tanzania (1/18). Betting on soccer was the most common type of gambling reported (n = 11/15), and hanging was the most used mode of suicide (n = 10/16).

Conclusions

Based on the press media reports, 18 males were identified as having carried out gambling-related suicides. The countries with the most widespread opportunities to gamble had more gambling-related suicides, although the number of suicides was very small.

Alcohol consumption and sports-betting among young male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in urban southwestern Uganda

Background

The popularity of sports-betting is growing globally and may be associated with alcohol consumption among young adults. In this study, we examine the relationship between alcohol consumption plus other substances with sports-betting in a group of young adult males in Uganda.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study and interviewed male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in the southwestern Uganda town of Mbarara. We asked questions about alcohol consumption, smoking plus history and frequency of sports-betting.

Results

We enrolled 401 riders. The median age was 29.0 years, interquartile range 25–32 years. Seventy four (18.5%) had engaged in sports-betting in the past 30 days. Among those that reported sports-betting, 16(21.6%) engaged daily or almost daily. Alcohol use was significantly associated with sports-betting with an adjusted risk ratio (aRR) of 2.08(95% CI 1.36, 3.18) among moderate drinkers but not among heavy drinkers in comparison to low or non-drinkers. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with sports-betting with an aRR 1.85(95% CI 1.13, 3.01).

Conclusion

Sports-betting is common among these young male motorcycle riders, and is associated with both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Interventions to regulate sports-betting may be co-packaged with those to reduce alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking among young adult males.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10406-7.

Gambling Patterns and Problem Gambling Among Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Mounting evidence suggests that youth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) find themselves increasingly drawn to gambling related activities; an issue, that if left unchecked, can lead to adverse consequences including financial difficulties, crime and mental health problems. To better understand the psychosocial mechanisms underlying problem gambling, there is a pressing need to conduct more research on gambling related disorders amongst this vulnerable stratum of society. Against this background, the present review explores gambling patterns, attitudes and behaviors among youth in SSA-in a manner aligning with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We systematically searched 8 databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest, Wiley Online, Google Scholar, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES for published research articles up until July 2019. A total of 1624 articles were screened, of which, only 13 studies met inclusion criteria. All of these studies were cross-sectional in nature and the quality of each study was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Studies varied considerably ranging from neuropsychological and personality trait assessment to application of item response theory. Due to this study heterogeneity we could not conduct a meta-analysis. The results presented here suggest that the existing body of evidence pertaining to patterns of gambling-related harm among youth in SSA is weak. This study highlights the need for additional good quality studies focusing on gambling related behaviors and prevalence levels among the continent's youth. Additionally, the findings reported herein emphasise the need for implementing social policies alongside effective public health interventions to tackle gambling addiction.

The Effect of Gambling Motivation of Sport Spectators on Propensity for Violence in Sport

The study aims to analyse the relationships between sport spectators' gambling motivation and propensity for violence. Descriptive and relational screening model were used in this study. Study group is composed of 539 volunteers determined via purposeful and convenient sampling. Personal Information Form was prepared by the researchers of the study; and Gambling Motivations Scale and Sport Spectators Aggression and Violence Scale were used to gather the data. For inferential statistics, Pearson Correlation Analysis was conducted to reveal the relationships between some variables and sub-scales of measurement tools. Furthermore, multi variable relations between sub-scales of Gambling Motivation Scale and sub-scales of The Sport Spectator Aggression and Violence Scale were analysed through Canonical Correlation Analysis. The results of correlation analysis show that there is a weak significant positive correlation between both the frequency of sport gambling and gambling motivation, and between the frequency of sport gambling and sport spectators' aggression in all sub scales. In addition, weak significant and positive correlation between both the level of fandom and gambling motivation, and the level of fandom and aggression of spectators was found in all sub-scales. As for the correlation between consuming alcohol before matches and gambling motivation and sport spectators aggression, not consuming alcohol before matches was found significantly high correlated compared to consuming alcohol before matches. In conclusion, it can be said there is a relation between gambling motivation and aggression and propensity for violence. Moreover, it can be thought the fact that the perceived fandom level of gambler sport spectators is high causes the increase in aggression and propensity for violence.