15 Public Perception and the Socio-economic Effects of Sports Betting on Youths in Ibadan. *Vivian Chizoma Njemanze1, Ephraim I. Nwokporo2 Emmanuel O. Agha3 Innocent A. Nwosu4 1,2,3,4Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike *Corresponding Author: Vivian.njemanze@funai.edu.ng; +234 8035809527 Abstract Sports betting is the commonest form of gambling in Nigeria. Its heightened participation of youths has raised public concerns. Despite its legalized existence, public perception has somewhat remained negative and with mixed impact report on the socio-economic lives of the youths. This paper seeks to examine the perception of the public and the socio- economic effects of sport betting on youths in Ibadan North-East, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted mixed research methods, using purposive sampling technique to select 395 respondents for the study. We conducted ten in-depth interviews on stakeholders, bettors’ relatives and workers in the area. Results indicate that there exists a negative perception of sports betting. The paper also found sports betting to have negative effects on the socio- economic lives of the youths in Ibadan North-East. It is recommended that adequate social policies and practices on responsible gambling should be made to regulate the operation and promotion of sports betting in Nigeria. The study also recommends that the government and other civil societies should employ public sensitization and education programs to educate the masses on the harm associated with sports betting. Keywords: Sports betting, Public perception, Socio-economic effects, Youths, Ibadan Introduction Sports betting have recently become part of the Nigerian everyday reality; with its growing acceptability, betting shops are now almost stationed in every street of Nigeria. NOIpolls, (2019) reported a 77% prevalence rate with the south-west zone of which our study is part, topping the national average with a score of 92%. The advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) enhanced the accessibility to knowledge, practice and platform for sports betting in the country, this has also been established in other countries (Griffiths and Parke 2010). Its existence in the country has raised several ethical questions for the youths, parents and other caregivers given the disorientation and dissonance it infuses in the existing social norms and values of hard work. Hard work is a priced Nigerian traditional value, therefore the modern culture of materialism exhibited by bettors is what Njemanze and Nnorom (2019) described as fragments of the ‘rape of colonialism, industrialization and the attendant globalization’. This has made the culture of easy life and selfishness socially acceptable; and as argued, betting behaviours is proportional to cultural values, lifestyle and social acceptability (Abt, Smith & McGurrin,1985; Tang and Oei 2011) Comparatively, some countries of the world have identified the high rate of youth participation in sports betting, and this causes considerable discomfort within the mailto:Vivian.njemanze@funai.edu.ng 16 family, community and the larger society (Gambling Research Panel, 2004; Rossen, Tse & Vaidya, 2009). in Nigeria, an estimated 60 million active bettors aged 18-40 spend N1.8billion daily amounting to N730billion annually, News Agency of Nigeria (2014). Their participation in sports betting stems from diverse expectations of social and monetary rewards (Shead & Hodgins, 2009). One of the major reasons why youths involve in sports betting is to win money (Splevins, Mireskandari, Clayton, & Blaszczynski, 2010); this is followed by entertainment(Valentine, 2008), and as a means of escape and the irresistibility of temptation on the part of the problem bettor (Kristiansen and Jensen 2014). Calado1, Alexandre and Griffiths (2018) in a cross- cultural study established ‘sensation seeking’ as major attachment factor of problem gambling. For the Nigerian population, NOI polls (2019) reported that the desire to win money (30%), Unemployment (21%) and greed 15% as the major reasons why people engage in betting activities. It has also become a popular past-time activity not only for the adults but also for people below age 18 especially on the online betting platforms (Splevins et al., 2010). Nigerian youths have a huge football culture which Sports betting companies like Bet9ja, Nairabet, Merrybet, Accessbet, Betking, Sportybet etc. have leveraged on to their benefit. Generally, there exist tremendous fans of the English Premier League and Spanish Laliga teams. Unlike in the past where youths only spend resources to watch matches at viewing centres, betting shops as part of value-added services and/or as a way of attracting customers presently show matches to bettors. Sports betting refer to the monetary stake in the outcome of events and other events that may occur during sporting activities. Palmer (2013), sees it as an act of placing a financial wager on the outcome of a sporting match, as well as on events that occur within the larger match or fixture. It also covers betting on other events such as the outcome of a political election or a reality television program. Youths in this study refer to individuals between the ages of 18-30 years. This age range refers to one of the most sensitive ages of an individual where he/she is expected to build oneself in body, mind, competence, and capabilities. With the greater part of it spent on sports betting there may be little or no career prospect for the individual, immediate family and the country at large. Sports betting shops hold the promise of social and peer-group interactions (Masaba, Sekakubo, Blaszczynski&Kuka, 2016). This could be attributed to why betting centres through-out their working hours experience a large influx of youths some with the intention of betting while others for peer interactions. Sports betting by its nature, especially in strong traditional and religious societies like Ibadan is perceived as unethical (Masaba et al 2016) and carries with social stigma (Malatest, 2013). Extant literature has documented that the perception and effects of sports betting on society are negative rather than positive (Toce-Gerstein and Gerstein, 2007; Mangham, Carney, Burnett, & Williams. 2007; Volberg, 2001; Orford, Griffiths,Wardle, Sproston,&Erens, 2009), somewhat positive in the short-run but experientially negative at the long-run (Vong, 2008) and without any safe level of engagement (Orford 2010). Put differently, Smith, Schopflocher, Guebaly and Wood (2011) suggested that the public perception about the activity is driven by the sense that people are harmed by excessive betting, rather than a belief that sports betting is immoral. However, there has not been any consensus among scholars on the morality and rightness of sports betting, especially among the youths. Sports betting has been associated with some negative social and health outcomes across individual, familial, 17 and societal levels. A study in Uganda shows that addicted youths to sports betting resigned from gainful employment and resorted to gambling, with others manifesting significant health complications (Masaba et al, 2016) On the other hand, Basha & White (2002) and McGowan (2014) puts up claims that consumers (bettors) are the best judges of their own welfare and that most people who bet do so willingly and rationally, and to them, it is a form of entertainment which must not be deprived. However, on the positive parlance, scholars have posited that sports betting increases government revenue, public services, per-capita spending, income, and provide employment opportunities (Masaba et al., 2016; Williams, Rehm, & Stevens, 2012). Sports betting when viewed from a positive angle provide youths with the opportunity of earning rewards from their passion for sports. Nonetheless, most employment opportunities provided by sports betting do not significantly impact on the workers standard of living (Ham, Brown & Jang, 2004) as it takes extra discipline for sports betting employees not to stake with their salaries. This has often increased the negative perception of sports betting as against their initial assumption of improved living. However, adequate safeguards against the negative outcomes of gambling have not been instituted in Nigeria; there is relatively limited information regarding public support for problem betting and efforts to mitigate the effects on the socio-economic life of youths. It is against this backdrop that this study aims at filling the gap by exploring the public perception and socio-economic effects of sport betting on youths in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State Nigeria. Specifically, this study is set to ascertain; i. The reasons and frequency at which youths engage in sports betting ii. The perception of the public on sports betting iii. The social and economic consequences of sports betting on youths in our study area Theoretical Framework The theoretical explanation of sports betting in this study will adopt an eclectic method in other to triangulate the strengths of different theoretical approaches for a robust work. This is what Shafiee, Razaghi and Vedadhir (2019) describe as a ‘multi- dimensional’ and ‘multilevel’ study of addictive behaviour. It involves a ‘bio- psychosocial’ analysis and a structural study of gambling activities (Griffiths, Alexandre & Calado, 2017). This individual, systems and dimensional analysis will only be possible by doing what Churchland and Scjnowsk (cited in Anderson 1999) described as allowing elucidations to “coexist at all levels” Some biological theories link drug use and the aetiology of addictive behaviours to genetics and brain ailments. These claim especially that of brain illness has been critiqued for trying to medicalize addiction (Satel & Lilienfeld, 2013). According to the Sociological explanations of Emile Durkheim, Anomie or a situation of normlessness occurs when the system of social control can no longer regulate individuals’ behaviour. He reasoned that rapid social change (changes in wealth, power 18 divisions of labour or poverty) predisposes anomie. Thus, when social norms become weak and ineffective, consensus and attachment among members of society become threatened. “A community in a situation like this is heading towards disorganization because there exists great uncertainty regarding the value system of that society” (Njemanze & Nnorom 2019:200). Nigeria is in a state where the existing norm of hard work is constantly contradicted by that of easy-life. This explains the preponderance of youths’ involvement in betting, fraud, ritual and all other forms of unethical behaviour in order to make quick money. The social influences theories associate drug use and the formation of addictive behavioural patterns with groups influence and identity factors (Keene, James andWillner, 2009). Adapting the theory to our study, youth engage in betting due to peer association and influence; this, in turn, becomes an identity and provides a sense of ‘we’ to the peer subculture. During live matches, the media is replete with advertisements from different betting companies thus building credibility on the act of betting on the one side and a belief in the act of betting on the audience on the other side (Sussman 2001). It has also become almost inevitable for sports fans to avoid betting-related promotions and advertising when attending a live game or through watching it on television (Palmer, 2013). As such, sports viewers through the massive media advertisement especially during matches, are aligned to live to bet. This audience-belief formation holds true of youths and internet users when they are beleaguered with unending pop-ups from betting firms. Other postulations from psychological, systems and dispositional models (see Walker, 1992; Griffiths & Delfabbro 2001), provides useful contributions to the understanding of the onset and maintenance of addictive behaviour. Methods The study was carried out in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. An embedded mixed method of data collection was adopted for the study. This method will offer us the flexibility to collect and better explain both quantitative and qualitative data (Onwuegbuzie, 2012; Creswell 2014). Ibadan North-East has a total population of 465,700 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2018). Using the Taro Yamane sample size derivation, 400 respondents were selected for the study. The study made use of purposive sampling techniques to draw the respondents for the study. This technique enabled us to identify the bettors at the betting shops. Four hundred copies of the questionnaire were randomly distributed to bettors attending betting shops located in Ibadan North-East. However, the questionnaire distribution recorded 96.25% (385) response rate. Ten (10) stakeholders and relatives of bettors at the Local Government Area were interviewed. This group of respondents were selected using both purposive and snowballing technique. Some of the bettors we met at the betting shops who agreed to participate in the study were the people who referred us to other significant stakeholders and relatives that we interviewed. The in-depth interview was conducted to get background information on the public perception of sports betting. The respondents for the in-depth interviews were contacted, after explaining the purpose of the study to them, a request for them to participate in the study was made. Those who agreed were given consent forms to fill. A date for the interview was also fixed individually. The study was conducted between August and October 2019. The 19 interview sessions were recorded as each of the interviews lasted for about 15 and 30 minutes. It was conducted in the English language. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 22 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) while the in-depth interviews were transcribed and analysed using the narrative method. 20 Results Table 1: Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents n=385 Variable Frequency Percentage Gender Male 341 88.6 Female 44 11.4 Age 18 – 20 59 15.3 21 – 24 145 37.7 25 – 30 181 47.0 Marital Status Single 254 66 Married 122 31.7 Divorced 0 0 Separated 9 2.3 Widowed 0 0 Level of Education No formal education 7 1.81 Primary education 63 16.4 Secondary education 99 25.7 OND/HND 126 32.7 University education 90 23.4 Employment Status Working full time 57 14.8 Working Part time 29 7.5 Laid off (temporarily) 8 2.1 Unemployed 154 40.0 Self employed 72 18.7 Student 65 16.9 Religious Affiliation Christianity 259 67.3 Islam 126 32.7 African Traditional Religion Amount spent on betting weekly N1000 or less N1,100 - N10,000 N10,100 - N50,000 N50,100 - N100,000 N100,000 and above 0 184 120 39 32 10 0 47.79 31.17 10.13 8.31 2.60 Source: Author’s computation from fieldwork, 2019 Table 1 show that there were more males than females in the study. The male constituted 88.6% of the total population while the females made up the remaining 11.4%. The respondents had a mean age of 23.2 years with 15.3% aged 18 – 20 years, 37.7% aged 21 – 24, and 47% aged 25 – 30 years. The majorities (66%) of the 21 respondents were single, 31.7% were married and 2.3% of the respondents were separated. From the table, 32.7% of the respondents had obtained OND/HND degree, 25.7% have secondary education, 23.4% have a university education, and 16.4% had primary education while 1.81% had no formal education. Majority of the respondents (40%) were unemployed, 18.7% were self-employed, 16.9% were students and 14.8% of the respondents had full-time employment while 7.5% worked part-time and 2.1% were laid off (temporarily). Majority of the respondents was Christians (67.3%) while 32.7% of them were Moslems. Also, out of 385 respondents, 47.80% of them spent #1,000 or less than weekly on sports betting, 31.20% spent #1,100 - #10,000, and 10.10% of the respondents spent #10,100 - #50,000 weekly on sports betting. Also, 8.30% of the respondents spent #50,100 - #100,000 on bet weekly while 2.60% of them spent #100,000 and above on betting weekly Table 2: Reasons and frequency for betting (n=385) Response Frequency Percentage Respondents’ view on why they bet To win Money 269 69.97 For entertainment 44 11.43 To escape boredom Peer pressure Others 23 27 22 5.97 7.0 5.73 Frequency of betting Daily Weekly A few times a Month Occasionally 195 165 19 6 50.7 42.9 4.9 1.5 Source: Author’s computation from fieldwork, 2019 As shown in table 2, the majority (69.87%) of the respondents stated that they bet to win money, 11.43% of them maintained that they bet for entertainment. In response to peer influence, 7% of the respondents bet while 5.97% of the respondents bet as a way of escaping boredom. It further shows that (50.7%) of the respondents bet daily, 42.9% bet on a weekly bases while 4.9% of the respondents bet a few times a month. Occasional bettors occupy 1.5% of the respondents. 22 Table 3: The effects of sport betting on the social lives of youths n=385 Statements SA A U D SD Sum Weighted Mean ( ) Score Stdev Remark Betting reduces my concentration and interest at work. 56 10 2 75 103 49 116 8 3.03 1.28 Accepted In the last 12 months, I have staked or gambled even though I had promised myself not to do so. 117 11 5 49 63 41 135 9 3.53 1.35 Accepted In the last 12 months, betting or gambling has caused me problems at work or at home. 116 33 22 134 80 112 6 2.92 1.57 Rejected In the last 12 months, I once tried hiding the amount that I wanted to bet from family members or friends. 92 67 71 104 51 120 0 3.12 1.39 Accepted I sometimes say that I am winning when in reality I am losing. 85 13 2 61 82 25 132 5 3.44 1.23 Accepted In the last 12 months, I tried collecting money for bets by using false cheques, stealing or by resorting to other illegal acts. 26 33 33 107 186 761 1.98 1.23 Rejected My quality of life has greatly improved since I started betting 54 70 112 93 56 112 8 2.93 1.25 Rejected I have made many friends as result of betting 130 93 43 86 33 135 6 3.52 1.38 Accepted Mean social indicator 117 8 3.06 0.58 Accepted Source: Author’s computation from fieldwork, 2019 The above Table 3 shows the weighting of response to the satisfaction with effect of sport betting on the social life of youths. As shown in the table, the weighted mean score of five (5) out of the eight (8) items was above the required a 3.0 weighted mean criterion for acceptance. This implies that the five (5) items were accepted indicating a positive response to the questions. The items in the other of the hierarchy of acceptance include, “In the last 12 months, I have staked or gambled even though I had promised myself not to do so” (3.53), “I have made many friends as a result of betting”(3.52), “I sometimes say that I am winning when in reality I am losing” (3.44), “In the last 12 months, I once tried hiding the amount that I wanted to bet from family members or friends” (3.12), and “Betting reduces my concentration and interest at work” (3.03). Generally, though three of the items were rejected, with the general mean of (3.06) the youth’s responses show that sports betting have negative effects on their social life. 23 Table 4: The effects of sports betting on the economic lives of youths n=385 Statements SA A UD D SD Sum Weighte d Mean ( ) Score Stdev Remark In the last 12 months, after having lost money betting, I have immediately gambled again to win back the money lost 102 144 91 30 18 143 7 3.73 1.08 Accepted I bet more than I could really afford to lose. 143 48 19 118 57 125 7 3.26 1.56 Accepted My income has increased since I started betting 63 100 76 93 53 118 2 3.07 1.31 Accepted I once borrowed money or sold something to get money to bet 60 107 31 115 72 112 3 2.92 1.40 Rejected I ably provide for my family since I started betting 45 80 81 120 59 108 7 2.82 1.25 Rejected Mean social indicator 123 5 3.21 0.82 Accepted Source: Author’s computation from fieldwork, 2019. The above Table 4 shows the weighting of response to the satisfaction with the effect of sport betting on the economic life of youths. As shown in the table, the weighted mean score of four (4) out of the six (6) items are above the required 3.0 weighted mean criterion for acceptance. This implies that the four (4) items are accepted indicating a positive response to the questions. The items in a hierarchy of acceptance include, “In the last 12 months, after having lost money betting, I have immediately gambled again to win back the money lost” (3.73), “I save part of the money I won from betting” (3.43), “I bet more than I could really afford to lose” (3.26), and “My income has increased since I started betting” (3.07). Generally, though two of the items were rejected, with the general mean of (3.21) the youth’s responses show that sports betting has negative effects on their economic life. Discussion of Findings Results from the reasons and frequency of sports betting by respondents show that majority (69.87%) of the respondents bet to win money. This is consistent with earlier empirical studies (Valentine, 2008; NOIpolls, 2019) and accentuates the growing culture of materialism and get-rich-quick syndrome among youths in Nigeria. The frequency (daily: 50.7%, weekly: 42.9%) of betting among the participants reveals a tendency for addiction and chronic betting. 24 The study also examined the socio-economic effects of sports betting on youth and their families. The data revealed that sports betting have negative effects on the social lives of youths. It affects their concentration, self-control and trust between family and friends. Respondents in the study accepted that sports betting reduced their concentration and interest at work, that they staked even though they had promised not to do so, sometimes say that they are winning when in reality they are losing and tried hiding the amount they wanted to bet from family or friends. Most of them agreed that they bet more than they could really afford to lose, gambled immediately to win back money lost in betting and could not provide for their families since they started betting. This was supported by National Endowment for Financial Education (2000), report that most bettors share the underlying denominator of fiscal failure, bankruptcy, and unsuccessful efforts to quit betting.Meyer, Hayer, & Griffiths,(2009) documented an increasing development of betting related problem among youths. This result portrays the views of the respondents in the in-dept interview. One of them confirmed that:“Sports betting is seriously having a negative effect on the lives of our youths; it takes from the resources, time, and energy and contributes little or nothing to our sustainable future”. (ID2/male/teacher/2019) Another narrated her experience thus: “I nearly developed high blood pressure, when my son unknown to me joined betting club down the street. One day, I sent him to go and pay in money atthe bank to my customers that I buy goods from for my retail business. He betted the money and lied on me that he was duped inside the tricycle. My business suffered a huge setback. It took God and the intervention of my Clinical Psychologist brother to get him out of that habit. I really do not like to remember that ordeal now. (ID7/female/retail business owner/2019) The findings, as shown above, is in line with Masaba et al., (2016) who found that youths resign from gainful employment and resort to gambling, with others manifesting significant health/ psychological complications. Shead and Hodgins (2009) presented as a contrary view with the report that sports betting provides diverse social and monetary rewards to youths. Data from this study depicts a negative public perception of sports betting despite its legalization in Nigeria. Culturally, sports betting is incompatible with the Nigeria normative culture; as youth engagement in sports betting is publicly viewed as idle living. It introduces value conflict to the country’s value of hard work as the means to greatness.Respondents who are interviewed reported strongly a negative view of sports betting. One of them stated thus: “I don’t like it; it is not good for them at all. Sports betting encourages youths to be lazy and greedy. I will never, ever encourage, talk more of allowing my children to bet, I even hate people who bet”. (ID6/male/business man/2019). 25 Other laments: “Well …. I will not support it. From my side, it has caused a lot of problems. Most people in it are always having a lot of financial issues”. (ID9/Female/school principal/2019). “It is not ok in the sense that it adds to their levels of indecency. They will always find whether legal or illegal means of getting money to bet. It has also made many poor and most of them engaged in it as a way out of poverty which they may not achieve”. (IDI/male/Civil Servant/2019). Extant literature documented a significantly worsening negative perception toward sports betting (Mangham et al. 2007; Orford et al. 2009). Conclusion Sports betting if inefficiently regulated will in no distant time pose a threat to the core- fabric of the Nigerian society. It contradicts the Nigerian traditional values of hard work and presents a huge social problem for the youth, their relatives and the entire society. These negativeoutcomes are varied in nature. As the poverty rate increase, there are more tendencies for youths turning to sports betting for quick money. Moreso, given the high risk of financial loss in sports betting, bettors may often resort to crime in order to pay debts, appease bookies, maintain appearances and garner more money to bet. Also, some youths see sports betting as a ‘way out’ of hardship and this desperation may often lead to debt. The problems associated with betting helps to sustain its negative public perception in Nigeria. It is eminent, however, that the government of the day must take preemptive steps in curtailing and regulating its emergent negative effects on the lives of the youths. 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