Against the odds: exploring individuals’ pushback mechanisms against commercialized football gambling

TL;DR

This study explores why some people who are tempted to gamble on football choose not to, focusing on their personal values and understanding of gambling.

Contribution

The study identifies agentic factors that prevent gambling among susceptible individuals in African cities.

Findings

Participants who do not gamble despite susceptibility cite knowledge of gambling's business model.

Conserving football's integrity and personal morality are key reasons for avoiding gambling.

These agentic factors could inform gambling intervention programs in the region.

Abstract

The need for money, the pursuit of pleasure, and the liberalized access to gambling have been documented in several pieces of literature as the drivers of gambling. Such drivers are predicated on commercialized gambling, leading to the growth of the gambling industry and constituting a structural influence that normalizes the activity among young people.

Through a qualitative inquiry, this study investigates the social agentic factors of individuals who are susceptible to gambling. Fifteen non-gamblers were recruited across three commercial cities in Africa, namely Nairobi, Lagos, and Johannesburg. We first established the gambling susceptibility of the participants: their need for money, their passion for football, ownership of a smartphone, access to the internet, and exposure to football gambling marketing.

Consequently, we probed for their agency, which is indicative of why they do not gamble, despite being susceptible to engaging in the activity. Four major agentic factors were identified from the participants; knowledge of the industry’s business model, conserving the integrity of football, identity of self, morality and/or religion model.

As such, these factors may be utilized to develop an intervention program for gamblers within the geographical context.