Rise of youth betting: Growing concern
Sports betting has come a long way since its inception.
Over the past decades, it has evolved from confinement to smoky back rooms and traditional bookmakers.
The industry has transformed dramatically with the advent of technology.
Today, sports betting enthusiasts can place their wagers from the comfort of their homes, thanks to online platforms.
Sports betting has become a “daily bread” among the youth of Ghana. Many Ghanaian youth have embraced betting due to several economic and social factors, making it a daily activity for many young people’s survival.
In Ghana, betting has evolved significantly over the past years, from an era where bettors had to visit physical shops to place their bets to an era where smartphones and the Internet are on the rise which has led to the inception of online betting.
Today’s betting is done via mobile applications and USSD codes making it widely accessible and available across the length and breadth of the nation even in rural areas in the country.
Again, those providing the platforms have capitalised on the nation’s love and passion for football, for instance, the European leagues, such as the English Premier League (EPL), Serie A, French ligue 1 and the Champions League) among Ghanaian youth, to make their betting hubs online and on locations extremely popular.
The promotion of sports betting adverts on various media platforms has contributed to the proliferation of betting among Ghanaian youth.
Betting or gambling among young people raises concerns and sparks debates for legislation to regulate the activity and help prevent many young people from taking up the activity as a way of life.
The past government imposed a 10 per cent levy on sports betting, aiming to reduce the indulgence of the youth in the activity.
That was kicked against with players in the sector arguing that betting put food on the table.
That also offered the opposition party the opportunity to campaign on the issues and promise to scrap the tax when voted into power, allowing more youth to be comfortable engaging in that activity.
Betting among young people is getting out of hand. Research shows that the rate at which the youth engage in sports betting globally ranges from five per cent to over 76 per cent, among 12 to 35-year-olds across multiple regions, including Africa and other European countries.
Additionally, another study has highlighted the co-occurrences of youth sports betting with other risky behaviours, such as substance abuse, delinquency and academic underperformance among youth in recent times.
Youth engagement in betting is mostly caused by the influence of peers, unemployment and other social challenges. This has pernicious implications on the youth like reckless spending, loss of career, substance misuse, crime and mental health issues.
A report has also indicated that online sports betting among young adults is no longer a predominantly male activity, but females also represent a significant and growing share (41 per cent), which means they are casual gamblers.
The government, through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), should collaborate in its employment creation efforts to get the youth employed, so they desist from betting to build a sustainable society and a better future as a nation.
Opinion leaders, Civil Society Organisations, and the media must contribute to the discourse to provide and shape the best solution to this perilous issue. "If our future leaders are messing up, wherein lies the future of the nation?” The youth must survive, but not through betting/gambling.
Anthony Nyamekye Arthur
E-mail: commentatormaame@gmail.com
