The nations of Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to keep up with the rapid expansion of gambling wrought by online technology and proliferating smartphone apps.
The Universities of Bath, Ghana and Glasgow have teamed up with the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit (MEIRU) to look at existing policies in 49 nations. The report, published in the journal Public Health, found that 41 of those studied had legal gambling, but only two countries published reports about its impact. No public reporting was available in 36 countries.
To the team, this suggested that those countries that lack reporting don’t really know the scale of problem gaming on their populations. That includes much of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The rapid expansion of gambling, especially the online variety, is being fueled by digital technology. So rapidly, in fact, that most regulations are outdated and unable to deal with such problems as the constant bombardment of advertisements for gambling.
Enabling this flood are smartphone apps that give access to domestic and international platforms.
The review applied a magnifying glass to Sub-Saharan Africa where almost no statistics are available. It argues that gambling has become so commonplace that it dominates television and billboards. It cites studies that found that a tenth of Ethiopian teens were compulsive gamblers and that almost all young people in Uganda had a gambling problem.
These reports are hard to confirm however, because only Malawi and South Africa in Sub-Saharan Africa reported any statistics.
The lead investigator in the project, Dr. Darragh McGee at the University of Bath said in a statement: “The findings point to a lack of regulation, transparency, and protection from gambling harms across Sub-Saharan Africa, despite evidence that the industry is rapidly expanding. The need to address this regulatory void and prioritize a public health approach is urgent.”
He added, “This trend raises serious concerns about the potential impacts of harm on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, many of whom live in conditions of poverty and unemployment. Urgent, joined up action by national and international policymakers is badly needed in response.”
