Assessment of the Impacts of Betting on University Students: A Case Study of Kisii University, Kenya

Abstract

Youths have been susceptible to gambling and its associated problems. Approximately 42-80% of college and university students have been involved in the practice annually, with male students dominating. Few studies have been done on the impacts of gambling on university and college students. This study, therefore, focused on understanding how gambling affected Kisii University students. A descriptive research sampling design was utilized, research questionnaires were used, and the target population was Kisii University students. Five research assistants were trained to help in data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics was used; percentages, means, frequencies and charts were generated. Inferential statistics was also used to test the relationship between gambling and students' social life. Results were as follows: 54.1% indicated that they never lied about their gambling habits, and 58.9% stated that gambling had no adverse consequence on school, work, and relationships. Moreover, 61.1% stated that they could feel irritated and restless when they limited their gambling, while 61.4% spent a lot of time gambling and planning. Likewise, 90.8% mentioned that their friends had gambling habits, while 55.4% discussed with friends and colleagues about gambling. Therefore, gambling affected students' social life and peer pressure was the main contributor. Hence, public awareness of the problems associated with gambling is recommended to manage gambling among students.