Relationship between Psychosocial Factors and Sports Betting Among University Students in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The global wagering financial magnitude was around $449.3 billion in 2018, which was an increase from 2014 with a compound annual growth rate (CAG0R) of 4.1%, and is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 5.9% to about $565.4 billion by 2022. Kenya has the maximum number of gambling youngsters in Sub-Saharan Africa, a significant number being University students. Although there are various studies done in Kenya on gambling as a concept, there is a shortage of studies on the connection between psychosocial aspects and sports wagering among Kenyan youths and campus students. Therefore, this research intended to find out the link between psychosocial aspects and sports gambling among campus learners in Nairobi County, Kenya. The social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura (1986) guided the investigation. A correlational research approach was employed to conduct the investigation. The target population of the study was 196,718 public and private University learners in Nairobi County. A sample size of 385 subjects was sampled to partake in the research. Purposive, stratified, and random sampling ensured representative data was gathered from the sampled campuses and scholars. The pilot study was conducted among 38 students from one public and one private institution that was not part of the sampled institutions. Primary data was gathered through a well-designed questionnaire to gather information on psychosocial factors and sports betting. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic characteristics and present descriptive findings, while Pearson correlation was employed to analyze the study objectives and answer the research objectives with the aid of SPSS version 23. The study outcome established that the students had an average prevalence of sports betting. The findings further established a significant positive correlation between perceived self-efficacy, peer pressure and sports betting among University students respectively, p<0.05. The study recommends that policymakers ensure that betting regulations are implemented especially on the legal age of betting to prevent the early onset of sports betting school minors which continues to university levels.