Gambling Characteristics and Demographic Differences as Determinants of Attitudes Towards Gambling Among Youths in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

In this cross-sectional survey study, we investigated gambling characteristics (“quick” money syndrome, frequency of gambling, preferred gambling products and platforms) and demographic (age and gender) differences as determinants of attitudes towards gambling among youths in Lagos. We used a purposive snowball technique to recruit 179 respondents in Lagos (men: n = 165 [83.8% of participants]; women: n = 32) with a history of gambling activities. Gambling characteristics, demographics, and attitudes towards gambling were measured by using a gambling characteristics profile, the bio-data of the respondents, and the short form of the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS-8), respectively. The results showed that respondents believed that to make quick money, one needed to gamble once a week or more (67%), wager on sports betting (37.1%), and bet online (65.5%). The mean ATGS-8 composite score (28.2 ± 4.75) indicated overall positive attitudes among respondents. Independent sample t tests showed a significant difference between older (24–34 years) and younger (18–23 years) youths in their attitudes towards gambling ( t = -2.30, p .05). One-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in attitudes towards gambling based on gambling frequency, F (3, 196) = 6.86, p \xa00.05). L’analyse de variance a un critere de classification revele des differences importantes dans les attitudes envers les jeux de hasard en fonction de la frequence de la pratique de ces jeux ( F (3\xa0196) =6.86, p <\xa00.05); et ceux qui jouent tous les mois obtenaient le pointage le plus eleve. Les participants demontraient irrefutablement la conviction selon laquelle le moyen le plus facile de faire de l’argent facile est de jouer a des jeux de hasard au moins une fois par semaine et de parier en ligne. Les participants plus jeunes et ceux qui s’adonnent aux jeux de hasard au moins une fois par mois faisaient preuve d’attitudes plus positives a l’egard des jeux de hasard. Il faut faire comprendre aux jeunes que la pratique des jeux de hasard ne represente pas une source de revenu viable.