Prevalence and factors associated with gambling disorder among Kenyan university students involved in sports betting

Abstract

With the high uptake of sports betting among young people especially university students, it is inevitable that some of them will experience adverse effects associated with gambling disorder. This study sought to determine the prevalence of gambling disorder among university students who engage in sports betting and describe the factors associated with gambling disorder. A crosssectional survey was conducted among 228 students from one large private university in Kenya. Data was collected using a questionnaire developed based on the DSM-V criteria for gambling disorder and included items that measured gambling frequency and typical amount placed per bet. The results revealed that 69.3% of the participants were disordered gamblers, 68.9% gambled more than once in a week while 56.6% typically placed bets of between 50 to 100 Kenyan shillings. The study also found that frequency of gambling predicted gambling disorder while typical amount placed per bet did not. Findings also showed that many university students who gamble experience adverse effects as a result of disordered gambling and that there is need to develop policies and interventions aimed at reducing risk and harm associated with gambling disorder.