In this study, Kenya was reported as the country with the highest number of youth who had previously participated in gambling or betting at 76% followed by Uganda at 57% while Ghana had the lowest number at 42% ( 2). A recent survey evaluating gambling-related activities in 3,879 youth aged between 17 and 35 (based on the African Youth Charter) in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania found that 54% of youth in SSA have engaged in some form of gambling activity ( 2). With the rapid growth of the gambling industry in many parts of SSA, such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, which at times is coupled with weak regulatory environments ( 1), young people are increasingly exposed to gambling practices. In this context, the present article aims to provide a fresh perspective on the emerging issue of problem gambling among young people in SSA. This information gap is important in terms of gaining a better understanding and knowledge of these variables and will assist in designing effective preventive and treatment programs. Indeed, the clinical literature points toward high rates of comorbidities between GD and substance-related disorders, their overlapping neural circuitry ( 4, 10, 11), shared clinical presentation (i.e., cognitive features) and genetic predisposition ( 12– 18) in addition to similarities between their treatment methods ( 11).Īs opposed to the burgeoning literature exploring gambling and GD in Western nations ( 19, 20), there is a paucity of research on gambling behavior (e.g., frequency and amount of gambling, forms of gambling, and gambling motivations), the prevalence of GD, and identifying high-risk groups for developing GD, such as adolescents, in SSA. Initially included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-III under the name “pathological gambling” ( 7), this condition was subsequently renamed “gambling disorder” (GD) in the DSM-V and classified alongside substance-related disorders ( 8, 9). This disorder is associated with adverse psychological, physical, economic, social, and legal outcomes ( 5, 6). Gambling addiction has been defined as a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by a persistent and recurrent maladaptive pattern of gambling behavior ( 4). While the gambling industry is considered to have a beneficial impact on the economy through employment and taxation ( 1), unfortunately, gambling addiction is increasingly evolving into a public health concern in SSA, especially among young people (aged 10–24 years old). South Africa currently holds the most casinos on the continent with 38 legally operating casinos ( 3). Indeed, legal casinos are currently known to operate in a number of countries in SSA, including Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. This pattern of growth has been evident in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ( 1, 2). Over the recent years, many parts of the developing world have experienced unprecedented increases in gambling availability, participation, and expenditure. We believe that collaborative efforts between government, prevention specialists, legislators, researchers, treatment providers, and other stake holders can influence the uptake of research findings necessary to implement social policies and design effective public health intervention options to combat problem gambling and its associated implications among young people in SSA. This article focuses on problem gambling among young people in SSA with an emphasis on three key themes: (1) gambling behavior and patterns in SSA (2) public health and socioeconomic implications of gambling in SSA and (3) public health policies and interventions for addressing this issue. Emerging knowledge suggests that problem gambling is rapidly evolving in to a public health concern in SSA, especially among youth. Although gambling is positioned as a legitimate recreational and leisure activity within sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is widespread recognition among healthcare professionals and policy-makers that gambling has the capacity to become dysfunctional in a minority. Gambling is a cross-cultural and global activity which typically involves the wagering of money or an item of monetary value on an outcome that is governed by chance. 3Center for Public Health Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.2Utrecht Centre for Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.1Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya.
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