SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAJECTORY OF GAMBLING PATHOLOGY AMONG YOUTHS IN OFFA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
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Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.10
10-19
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAJECTORY OF
GAMBLING PATHOLOGY AMONG YOUTHS IN OFFA,
KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
1
Adeshina Taoheed Adeyinka; 2Oguntayo Rotimi
1
Department of Social Work, University of Ilorin, Nigeria
2
Department of Psychology, University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
Evidence abound that pathological gambling is a social problem in Nigeria however,
studies investigating possible causes of this menace are insufficient. This study
investigated demographic factors as determinants of gambling pathology among
youths in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey utilized snowballing
sampling techniques with a blend of accidental sampling to sample 330-participant
consisting of male and female participants who responded to the questionnaire-pack of
Gambling Addictive Behaviour Scale (GABS) to assess the variables of the study. The
GABS was validated using exploratory analysis; the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and
Bartlett’s sphericity revealed adequacy and suitability of data for factor analysis
(KMO = .890; p11Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.
10-19
Pathological gambling across races and cultures of the world is viewed in different
ways however, in Nigeria it is seen as a social problem. It has been noted that the
entire generation including Nigeria has now grown up in an era when lottery and
online gambling are widely available and heavily advertised (Oyebisi & Alao, 2012).
More so, the generation of the internet, smartphones, and information and
communication technology has come to complicate the gambling problem. For
instance; though there are so many forms of gambling but most common right now is
online sports betting (Oyebisi et al., 2012; Ayandele et al., 2021). So many online
betting exists but the commonest in Nigeria include; Nairabet, 1960bet, bet9ja,
Surebet247, Merrybet, and Betcolony, which are modern media for soccer
sweepstakes that replace the old soccer pool (Aguocha & George, 2021; Ayandele et
al., 2021).
According to Gupta and Derevensky (1996), the identified types of gambling
using cash for various types of activities include; buying lottery cards, sports betting
on pools, playing bingo, playing cards, betting on video pokers or video games,
playing slot machines and betting using other skill games. Other forms of gambling
activities among youth are; gambling in card rooms and bingo halls, playing casinos,
cyber net wagering, betting with family and peer on personal skill (e.g., bowling, pool,
and football), and dice (Griffiths & Parke, 2010; Derevensky, 2012). The prevalence
rates among youth are increasing daily compared to the adult population (Derevensky
et al., 2003; Shaffer & Korn, 2002). Without considering the actual degree of risk,
there are common findings that gambling pathology among youths is a serious social
and public health problem, and at the same time, pathological gambling is associated
with many negative outcomes across familial, interpersonal, economic, psychosocial,
and legal areas (Delfabbro et al., 2006; Blinn-Pike et al., 2010).
Socio-economic status (SES) as a measure of people’s social and economic
position is key to explaining determining factors of harmful gambling looking at
factors like; income, education, types of occupation, and employment status. However,
a study asserted that the association between socio-economic status and gambling is
difficult to explain (Aronson et al., 2001). This is because, gambling could be a factor
for low socioeconomic status, but persons with low socioeconomic status are likely
not to have gambling problems. Though, some previous studies have shown that low
socioeconomic background is associated with gambling problems among youths
(Aronson et al., 2001; Aguocha & George, 2021). Furthermore, gender differences
have also been revealed as determining factors of gambling behaviours. Some past
studies revealed that the rate of harmful gambling among the male population is
between 2.5 and 7% (Blanco et al., 2006; Afifi et al., 2010). Precisely, pathological
gambling has been found that males enjoyed sports betting and wagering on games of
skill, girls preferred games of chance such as scratch cards and lottery (Adebayo,
1998; Aronson et al., 2004).
Adeshina T. Adeyinka, et al.Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Trajectory of
Gambling Pathology…Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.12
10-19
Statement of Problem
Gambling has been in existence in Nigeria for a long, however, the use of it has not
been fully viewed as healthy for the majority of youths; for instance, in the past, it was
perceived as antisocial behaviour and as a result was actively discouraged by the
religious organisations, which warned against the unhealthy curiosity for jet life and
quick riches (Afifi et al., 2010; Aguocha & George, 2021). Recently, a study observed
an upsurge in the incidence of gambling among Nigerians, and this has resulted in
gambling-related harm (Aguocha et al., 2021), but no such study has established
similar results in Kwara state, especially among youths in Offa town (the second-
largest city in Kwara State). Though lottery was legalised in 2005 in Nigeria (National
Lottery Act, 2005), this law is supposed to guide in distinguishing the difference
between games of skill (the legally accepted ones) and games of chance (which are the
illegally unaccepted ones). However, both the legal and illegal games are done among
youths in a way that yields harmful livelihood among users but constituted authorities
seem not to shift attention on factors causing this social menace. There is no specific
provision in the lottery act to regulate online gambling which is the most widely
available and heavily practiced gambling in Nigeria recently (Oyebisi et al., 2012),
meanwhile a study focusing on social determinants of gambling problems is under-
investigated among youths, especially to serve as eyes openers for authorities of the
gambling commission and other Non-governmental Organisations. Considering these
gaps in the past literature, it is so important to investigate those potential socio-
demographic factors that could predispose youth to pathological gambling.
Objectives of the Study
The current study aims to examine the prevalence of pathological gambling among
youths in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria. While the specific objectives are to;
i. examine whether gender could contribute to gambling pathology among
youths
ii. identify whether marital status could determine gambling pathology among
youths
iii. know whether educational qualification could influence gambling pathology
among youths
iv. investigate whether job status could determine gambling pathology among
youths
Hypotheses
i. male participants scored higher on gambling pathology compared to female
counterparts among the selected youths
ii. individual youths who have less than O’ Level qualification will exhibit more
gambling pathology significantly compared to counterparts with O’ level,
ON/NCE, HND/BSC, and MSc/Ph.D.
Adeshina T. Adeyinka, et al.Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Trajectory of
Gambling Pathology…13Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.
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iii. single Participants will significantly exhibit more gambling pathology than
those who are married, cohabiting, and divorced
iv. unemployed Participants will score high significantly on gambling pathology
than the employed and individuals who are self-employed.
METHODS
This study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. This study was conducted in Offa
town in Kwara State and it only involved only youths (between the age 20-29years)
years. This setting is suitable for this type of study because the populations portray the
characteristics that fit in for the study, especially among youths of different age
categories, ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses.
The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire, it contained
demographic data such as; age, religion, level of educational qualifications,
employment status, family background, marital status, and monthly income. The detail
of the tool is as follows:
The Gambling Addictive Behaviour Scale (GABS) by Park and Jung (2012)
was developed to assess excessive gambling behaviour in people. It is a 25 items scale
with 4-dimension items; loss of control, life dysfunction from gambling addiction,
gambling experience, and social dysfunction from problem gambling. The scores for
the scale were significantly correlated with an addictive personality, irrational
gambling beliefs, and adolescent gambling addictive behaviour. Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient for the 25 items was .94. Scale scores identified adolescents as being in a
problem gambling group, a non-problem gambling group, and a non-gambling group
by the ROC curve. For this present study, the scale was validated through exploratory
analysis; Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s sphericity revealed adequacy and
suitability of data for factor analysis (KMO=.890; pBenin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.14
10-19
Data were analysed using statistical packages for the social sciences SPSS 21.0
software. The data collected was analyzed as described; Hypothesis 1 was analysed
using t-test, while hypotheses 2 and 3 were analysed using a one-way Analysis of
Variance.
RESULTS
The results revealed that youth participants involved in gambling problems (64.21%)
are more compared to non-pathological gambling counterparts (35.79%).
Hypothesis one: Male participants will score high on gambling pathology compared
to female counterparts among the selected youths.
Table 2: t-test Summary Table Showing Gender Differences in Gambling
Pathology
Gender N Std Df T P
Gambling pathology 23
Male 54.21 25.43
2 32 1.911 ˃.0
8 5
Female 98 48.53 22.74
Table 2 presents the results of the first hypothesis which states that male participants
will score high significantly on gambling pathology than their female counterparts,
gender did not influence gambling pathology [t (328) = 1.911; P ˂ .05] among the
Adeshina T. Adeyinka, et al.Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Trajectory of
Gambling Pathology…15Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.
10-19
sampled participants. The result showed that male respondents had ( = 54.21, SD =
25.43) which was significantly higher in the scores of learning difficulty compared to
female respondents ( = 48.53, S.D = 22.74). The hypothesis is rejected.
Hypothesis two: Individuals who have no less than O’ Level qualification will exhibit
more gambling pathology compared with those with O’ level, ON/NCE, HND/BSC,
and MSc/Ph.D.
Table 3a, One way ANOVA Showing the significant influence of Education
Levels on Gambling Pathology
Source SS Df MS F P
Educational Levels 22714.413 4 5678.603 10.304Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.16 10-19 pathology of those with OND/NCE and those with O’ level ( MD = -25.35; p < .01). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the gambling pathology of those with HND/BSC and OND/NCE (MD = -.892; p ˃ .01), also MSC/PhD and HND/BSC (MD = -5.15). The outcome of this result was in agreement with the stated hypothesis. Therefore, the stated hypothesis is accepted. Hypothesis three: Individuals who are single will exhibit more gambling compared with the cohabiting, married, and divorced participants Table 4a Showing the influence of Marital Status of Participants on Gambling Pathology Source SS Df MS F P Marital Status 5333.081 3 1777.1694 2.949
17Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.
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total adjusted mean of 47.54. There is a significant difference in the gambling
pathology looking at the mean difference (MD) of the participants; the singles are low
on gambling pathology compared to those who are married ( MD = 9.189; p < .01),
however, there was a significant difference in the gambling pathology of those who
cohabiting and those who divorced ( MD = -5.54; p ˃ .01). The outcome of these
results was not in agreement with the stated hypothesis five which stated that single
individuals did not confirm the stated hypothesis.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
The findings of this study are suggestive of a high prevalence of gambling pathology
among youths in Offa, Kwara. This city is the second-largest city in Kwara State
consequently, problem gambling is a serious challenge to this state and the nation as a
whole. This finding is supported by Oyeleke et al. (2017) and Ayandele et al. (2021),
who found a prevalence of gambling problems among undergraduates in southwest
Nigeria, and youths in Ibadan respectively. This result is similar to what was obtained
by Oyebisi et al. (2012), Ahaibwe et al. (2016) and Oyeleke et al. (2017) who found
that unlawful gambling activities are widely prevalent among youths in Nigeria,
though those studies could not reveal a statistical rate the present study did precisely.
This implies that the problem of gambling is increasing in every region and there is a
tendency that its related harms are also increasing simultaneously in Nigeria.
Results revealed that male participants scored higher on gambling pathology
compared to female counterparts; this implies that gender does account for the
gambling pathology rate among the respondents, especially among males. This is
supported by Oguntayo et al. (2019) who found that male youths indulged in risky
behaviours especially online transactions than females. Western studies obtained
similar findings such as Petry (2003), Holtgraves (2009) and Holdsworth et al. (2012)
found that gambling problem was high among males than in female counterparts. This
suggests that males have a likelihood of developing pathological gambling than their
female counterparts. Males especially the married ones could be predisposed to
gambling activities to sustain the position of man as the breadwinner in the family.
Such men may have erroneous beliefs that gambling is a means of taking care of
family or earning money.
The findings also revealed that individuals who have less than O’ Level
qualification did exhibit more gambling pathology compared with those with O’ Level,
ON/NCE, HND/BSC, and MSc/Ph.D. This implies that as the education of youths
decreases so also the gambling pathology increase. This result is similar to what was
obtained by Aguocha et al. (2021), Ahaibwe et al. (2016) and NOI Polls (2017), that
the educated individuals did avoid risky activities the less educated ones. It is
imperative for government to recognise education sustainability as key to combating
pathological gambling. In order ways, if education could impact gambling pathology
Adeshina T. Adeyinka, et al.Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Trajectory of
Gambling Pathology…Benin Journal of Social Work and Community Development Vol. 5, May 2022, pp.18
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negatively, education and social development should be encouraged more among
youths. Married participants did exhibit more gambling pathology than those who are
single, cohabiting, and divorced. The results of marital status have not been consistent.
However, marital status has been found as a key risk factor for gamblers. For instance,
Gill and Gomez (2016) found that married men who are lonely gamble more than non-
married colleagues. In contrast to the present study, Subramaniam et al. (2015) and
Oyeleke et al. (2017) found that problem gamblers were more likely to be single,
divorced, or separated. In addition, Southwell et al. (2008) found that people without a
partner bet more than married persons. The cause for this ambivalence in literature is
not been clear, in particular being single, divorced, or separated compared to married
people. However, one possible mediator of the marital status in relation to gambling
problems is the experience of boredom, stress, or pressure for financial from a partner.
Finally, the outcome of this study showed that unemployed individuals did not
exhibit gambling pathology compared to their employed and self-employed
counterparts. This implies that even though both unemployed, employed and self-
employed individuals gamble at a certain period in time in their lifetime, none seem to
gamble pathologically. As far as the researchers of this study are concerned, no studies
exist that established specifically that any of the job status considered in this study is
consistently the predictor of a gambling problem. However, other factors like peer
influence, personality, gender, and social environment could influence the gambling
problem when considering the employment status of youth.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study revealed a high prevalence of gambling pathology among youths in Offa,
Kwara State, Nigeria. Male youths are involved in gambling pathology compared to
female counterparts, so all the married individuals and the less educated youths.
Therefore, quick action is needed to minimize the gambling problem among youths. It
is however, recommended that considering the findings of this study, the finding is an
eye-opener for agencies saddled with the responsibility of reducing gambling
problems in Nigeria to collaborate with social scientists to come up with programmes
that could curb the gambling problem. In addition, the researchers further recommend
that:
Government at all levels should create employment opportunities for the
youths to discourage gamble problem;
Experts’ psycho-education and awareness campaigns should be instituted to
make the youth insightful of the side effects of pathological gambling;
Government should enforce the National Lottery Act of 2005 in the entire
nation and not restrict it to Lagos State alone to aid gambling that leads to
wellbeing.
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Contact:
Adeshina Taoheed Adeyinka; Oguntayo Rotimi, Department of Social Work, University
of Ilorin, Nigeria, adeshinataoheed16@gmail.com, oguntayo.r@unilorin.edu.ng
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