A GAME OF CHANCE OR ADDICTION

 

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In a world full of risks and chances, online gambling has become a thriving business and recreational activity in many parts of the world.  The chance aspect makes it a lucrative business which is highly attractive to young people. It has been made possible by the use of various digital devices such as smartphones which can easily be connected to the internet and allow people to participate in betting or game wagers so as to win prizes. The online aspect is advantageous as it is easily accessible, flexible, provides a variety of games and promises anonymity. Online gambling involves various activities such as; online sports betting, online lottery games, casino, poker, fantasy sports, virtual gaming and many more carried out in various websites.

In Kenya, online gambling is prevalent among the youth especially university students who indulge their free time in gambling so as to earn money. The most common forms of gambling carried out involve online sports betting which involves risk on the outcome of a sporting event such as football, online lottery games and online casino games such as blackjack and roulette. A research conducted by MIT Technology Review in 2022 identified the rise in sports betting addiction among Kenyans which was facilitated by the ease of mobile money transactions. This has also been promoted by the increasing number of online sports betting sites that are continuously advertised to capture the interest of young people and offer the chance of winning money through correct predictions of games. Some of these sites include; Sportpesa, Odibets, Betika, Mozzartbet, Betway, Bet365, Betting Kenya, SportyBet, 1×Bet and various more.

Despite these forms of online gambling being optional recreational activities, they have proved to have various psychological, social and financial effects on University students. They have evolved to be addictive sources of easy money for students leading to gambling disorders. A research conducted by Fabio Ogachi for the International Journal of Education and Research in April 2020, came up with findings that a majority of participants in gambling are male and that the addiction comes with the need to gamble so as to recover lost money. The effect of this on such students is that continuous gambling with the expectation of earning money leads to gambling disorders that promote mental health issues. Such issues have led to depressive behavior, poor academic performance among students involved, strain in relationships, financial hardships, debts and even in extreme circumstances suicide cases.

In a research carried out by Mark Mohan Kaggwa on gambling related suicide cases in the East African Community, it was identified that Kenya has the highest number of suicide cases as compared to Uganda and Tanzania. Most of the cases are from university students who indulge all their money including school fees to betting. A story that made it to Nairobi News on 2016 explained the story of a Kenyatta University student who committed suicide after betting Ksh. 80,000 on a football match < https://nairobinews.nation.africa/student-commits-suicide-after-losing-sh80k-bet-on-italy-match/ >. A  recent story that was covered by Citizen Digital news this year also featured a story of a University student from Catholic University  who killed himself after losing  Ksh.15,000 which was school fees money on a bet <https://www.citizen.digital/news/university-student-kills-himself-after-losing-ksh15000-school-fee-in-a-bet-n339339 >. All this goes to show the psychological effects that online gambling has on people and the need to come up with proper measures to curb this problem. More educational awareness about gambling disorders should be put in place to facilitate counseling and therapy as a form of seeking help. It will also allow students with such disorders to come out freely and seek help so as to avoid the drastic steps taken.

Gambling activities in Kenya have been legalized as the business generates a lot of income to the government. The thriving business has increased tax revenues, created employment opportunities, promoted foreign investments and even led to the growth of tourism activities. Due to this, there has been regulation of the industry so as to curb its exploitative effects. There exists the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act, Cap 131 and the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Regulations, 2019 as a basis of the legal framework. The Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act, Cap 131 under section 3 establishes the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) whose function is to regulate all gambling activities in Kenya by issuance of licenses, suspension of licenses and looking into complaints against permit holders.

 However, regulation has not been able to curb certain challenges that come about due to online gambling. Such challenges include; consumer protection, public health issues including mental health, data privacy and security issues, under-age gambling due to easy access of internet facilities by children, fraud and online money laundering activities. On issues of data privacy, the Data Protection Act, 2019 has given provisions in regards to data controllers and processors. It requires matters involving personal information of clients to be given consent before collection and processing of data. There have also been proposed bills to introduce a regulatory framework in this sector through the National Lottery Bill of 2023 and Gambling Control Bill of 2023.

Some of the challenges related to gambling disorder can be addressed through creation of support groups and helplines in various educational institutions. Students struggling with gambling disorders can contact such helplines and support groups to gain counseling and have a sense of community in dealing with addiction. More education should also be given on the risks of gambling and the signs associated with gambling disorders such as addiction. Strict measures should also be put in place to regulate constant advertising on online platforms which may attract minors. Online gambling sites should have various tools that promote security and enhance responsible gambling. These tools can promote responsible gambling by providing time limits, limitations on the amount of money that can be spent per day, user identification to prevent fraudulent activities and promotion of the self-exclusion process as provided by the BCLB to prohibit users from gambling for a certain period of time.

Such sites should not be easily accessed and should require proper verification and authentication before signing in. This will be useful in assessing the age of users to avoid the indulgence of minors in such activities. It will also be efficient in tracking all user activities to prevent fraudulent activities from taking place due to the anonymity aspect. The government should collaborate with various gambling stakeholders to ensure that responsible gambling practices are adopted. This will play a major role in curbing  some of the effects of online gambling which still remains a game of chance or addiction.

By Candy Kemunto Nyabaga; Finance Editor, UNLJ