Psychosocial Determinants of Gambling Behaviour Among Public Secondary School Students in Osun State, Nigeria

PSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF GAMBLING BEHAVIOUR AMONG PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

TAIWO REBECCA ADESINA EDP16/17/H/0056 B.Sc.Ed. (Economics) (Ipetu-Ijesa)

A THESIS WRITTEN IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS AND COUNSELLING, FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE, OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, NIGERIA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUACATION (GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING)

2019

The study investigated the prevalence of gambling behaviour among public secondary school students in Osun State. It examined the influence of psycho-social determinants (parenting styles, peer pressure, personality types and self-control) on gambling behaviour among the students. It also investigated the intervention strategies that the schools adopted in preventing gambling behaviour among the students in the study area. These were the view to providing information on factors that could determine gambling behaviour among public secondary school students.

The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 184,075 public secondary school students and 13631 teachers in Osun State. The students sample of 1200 students was selected using the multistage sampling procedure. Two

Local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected from each of the three senatorial districts in

Osun State using simple random sampling technique. From the six selected LGAs, one middle school and one high school were selected from each of the LGAs making a total of 12 schools using simple random sampling technique. One hundred students were selected from each school using a convenience sampling method, making a total of 1200 students. Three teachers were also selected from each of the twelve schools using convenience sampling technique making a total of 36 teachers. Two adapted questionnaires were used for data collection. The first instruments titled ‘Student’s Questionnaire on Psychosocial Determinants of Gambling Behaviour

(SQPDGB)’ and ‘Teacher’s Questionnaire on Intervention Strategies for Preventing Gambling

Behaviour (TQISPGB)’ were used to collect data for this study. Percentages, frequency counts,

Relative Strength Index (RSI), linear regression and multiple regressions were used to analyze the data.

Results also showed that “counselling of students that gamble” and “education talks during morning assemblies” were the mostly used intervention strategies that schools adopted in preventing gambling behaviour. The results further showed that there was a significant influence of self-control on student gambling behaviour (F= 22.736, P < 0.05) and peer pressure on gambling behaviour (F= 22.736, P < 0.05).The results further showed that there was no significant influence of parenting styles on gambling behaviour (F= 16.231, P > 0.05) and personality types on students gambling behaviour (F= 2.143, P > 0.05). The results finally revealed that there was a combined significant influence of personality types, self-control, parenting styles, peer pressure on student gambling behaviour of Osun State public secondary school students (F = 28.739, P < 0.05).

The study concluded that peer pressure and self-control significantly contributed to the prevalence of gambling behaviour among public secondary school students in Osun State.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Gambling is a common entertainment behavioural activity that is common among many

Nigerians, including Slot, lotteries and betting pools. However, for some it is a good tool as a business opportunity. Traditionally, betting activities involved indoor games such as “Ayo

Opon”, flipping cards, ludo, table tennis and local wrestling competitions which are earlier forms of gambling in our communities. These activities have been gradually transformed with the advent of internet usage. Offline and online gambling activities are now much available in the country with the coming of mobile technology and the Internet. Gambling has been an existence over a long time among the retirees and the old people. It is a legalized business in all the 36 states including Abuja. It has made some people great in life while some had lost their valuables things on gambling. Gambling is all about luck because the outcome is usually unknown. It was reported that the largest churches in the world was built by gambling money and that is why it is increasing day by day.

The financial gains of gambling activities are used by some agencies to support the government in developmental projects as part of their corporate social responsibility. Radio and television adverts have made different forms of gambling look attracting and acceptable and have reduced the associated stigma. As a result, gambling has gained huge social acceptance and followership especially among the students both secondary school students and undergraduate students.

Gambling has been defined as betting or wagering money or something of value on an event that has an uncertain outcome with the possibility of winning or los ing money or Kosten & Rounsaville 2001). Gambling is placing something of value at risk in the hopes of gaining something of greater value (Wilber & Potenza, 2006). It has long been accepted as a form of entertainment. Gambling activities include wagering at casinos, animal racing, dice game, video game, flipping cards, pool betting, lottery, snooker, sports gaming, online games and card games (Derevensky, 2012; Griffiths & Parke, 2010). The common gambling activities among secondary school students are bet9ja, lotto, lotteries, casino, video games just to mention a few. According to Afeez Adigun, an agent for 1960 Bet company, Lagos reported that “60 million Nigerians between 18 and 40 years spend more than N1 billion daily on sports betting”.

The report also reveals that “a betting company can generate up to N20 million monthly and use between N5 million and N7million to meet winner’s obligation in terms of payment”.

During the past few years, there has been an increase in regulated and unregulated gambling in Nigeria (Ajomale, 2017). Gambling is very common among secondary school students in Nigeria, and the rate at which students are engaging in the activities every day is increasing. Gambling behaviour is not an illegal activity and because of this it has increased the prevalence of gambling activities in our societies and almost all parts of the world allow one form of gambling or the other. In almost every part of Lagos state and some other parts of

Nigeria, the numbers of gamblers have increased in recent times as Nigerians have turned to gambling activities of other forms, especially Baba Ijebu and sports betting as the newest form of gambling to make extra money or even make big money (Omonisa, 2015). Lack of sanction on the part of gamblers has paved the way for the introduction of new forms of gambling activities such as the emergency of 1960 bet in Nigeria. The impact of the current gambling environment among public secondary school students in Osun State is a worrying issue.

Nowadays, many students have access to smartphones and computers, and they spend several hours a day behind these screens. On a daily basis, students spend time unknowingly engaging in forms of gambling activities at the heat of arguments, which ends up in betting activities. The current generation are growing up in a society where gambling is allowed, accepted and available. The recent expansion of gambling outlets and the rise of the internet in Nigeria has increased the opportunities for gambling and made it socially acceptable. The promotion of widely acceptable and available betting pools, telecommunications and government lotteries, and accessibility of internet gambling make the current age gambling environment significantly different from that of the years before the emergence of the internet. This is why Eboh (2015) reported that adolescents in Nigeria are now engrossed in gambling activities than in the previous decades.

A high prevalence of gambling participation has been found in different populations, especially documented in studies from high-income countries (Tozzi, Akre, Fleury-Schubert &

Suris, 2013). Certain factors such as escaping from problems, loneliness, thirst for quick wealth, making new friends, excitement, feel older and socialize constitute why they engage in this behaviour and its availability in recent times have given the students more opportunity to engage in gambling.

There are many benefits of gambling to individuals, communities and the state. Despite the popularity of gambling activities today, people are aware that gambling poses serious risks to those who are predisposed to gamble excessively. The balance of such negative and positive views very likely affect the attitude that an individual holds toward gambling and ultimately influences their decisions to engage in gambling.

However, it is also acknowledged that gambling can have positive consequences for