An aggressive epidemic is sweeping across Sub-Saharan Africa, and it is not a viral outbreak. It is a silent yet brutally sinister destroyer: gambling addiction. It is tearing apart families, ruining lives, and shattering futures across the continent.
The betting industry’s growth underscores the urgent need to act. Africa’s gambling market is projected to reach $11 billion by 2032. Uganda’s market is valued at $450 million by 2025, Kenya’s at $1 billion, and Ghana’s at over $900 million. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 60 million people actively bet, spending nearly $1billion daily, according to 2023 data from the nation’s National Lottery Trust Fund. These figures are staggering, but they only scratch the surface. Across Africa, desperation driven by high unemployment rates (for example, 33% in Nigeria, 25% in Kenya, and 12% in Ghana), is a key factor fueling this epidemic. In Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Ethiopia, over 76% of youth aged 18-35 have engaged in gambling at least once.
The cost of this phenomenon is overwhelming. Nearly half of bettors suffer from depression, while over two-thirds face severe anxiety. These are not just numbers; they are young lives lost to an industry profiting off poverty. In 2023, Samuel Adekoya, a student at Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Nigeria, took his own life after losing his school fees on SportyBet. In Kenya, a 2016 case saw a university student commit suicide after losing KES 100,000 on a bet. Ibukun, a teacher in Nigeria, turned to Betway to ease stress and retire early but lost his savings, dignity, and future, frittering away an estimated N5,000,000 within a decade.
University undergraduates, armed with smartphones and pocket money, are among the most vulnerable to this epidemic. In Nigeria, students bet with as little as N50, while in Kenya, wagers can begin at 50KES. In Uganda, families report gamblers using tuition fees to gamble, with some cases linked to suicide. In Ghana, a 2023 study found that 40% of university students gamble, with many reporting financial distress as a result. These tragedies are not outliers; they are the tip of a crisis ripping through African societies, leaving broken dreams in its wake.
Accessibility fuels the fire of gambling. From Kampala to Yaounde, neon-lit betting shops fill every corner of towns and villages, their bright signs calling out to potential patrons clutching betting slips. Apps like Bet365, 1xBet, BetKing, SportyBet, Betway, 22Bet, Betano, Paripesa, Wazobet, and Bangbet are just a tap away, luring youth with high odds and flashy bonuses, often featuring football heroes like JJ Okocha, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor and celebrities like Nigeria’s Davido endorsing 1XBet or Kenya’s King Kaka for Sportsbet.
Funding for betting has become seamless, as Nigerian bank apps like Opay, Kuda, Paystack, and Flutterwave, alongside mobile money platforms like M-Pesa in Kenya, enable instant deposits, along with USSD codes and airtime on platforms like BetPawa, making impulsive betting effortless. Cryptocurrency wallets are also an option in funding betting wallets.
Sadly, this crisis is dismissed as a personal failing rather than the public (mental) health emergency that it is. Meanwhile, the continent’s mental health systems areunder-resourced, and, in many places, mental health is not prioritised within public health frameworks. A dire shortage of professionals and underfunded research leave addicts without support. In Nigeria, for example, there are no specialist treatment centres for gambling addiction. Kenya reports similar gaps, with only substance abuse facilities offering limited help.
African governments, while pocketing substantial revenue from gambling licenses, do little to nothing to mitigate the resulting harm. Africa’s broader regulatory patchwork neglects vulnerable populations, particularly youth. It is alarmingly inadequate. Nigeria’s National Lottery Regulatory Commission struggles to monitor operators. Tanzania’s Gaming Board has tightened regulations, but enforcement remains weak. In contrast, countries like Japan, Germany, and Malta implement stringent regulations, including advertising bans and spending caps, to protect citizens from slipping into addiction. In Africa, South Africa’s National Responsible Gambling Programme stands out as a beacon of hope. Funding counseling and awareness campaigns through industry levies, the programme is achieving significant reach and offering a model for other African nations to emulate.
It is important to underscore that gambling addiction is a disorder. Pathological gambling drives individuals to desperate measures, with many resorting to criminal behavior like theft, fraud, or illegal ventures to feed their addiction. In a continent where 42% of sub-Saharan Africans live below the poverty line, gambling becomes a seductive option that promises a quick and easy path to economic relief. Cultural stigma brands it a moral failure, an attitude that tends to discourage victims from seeking help.
Recent efforts show promise but these efforts significantly fall short. Nigeria’s Lagos and Oyo States back Gamble Alert’s campaign, while Kenya’s 2018 tax reforms aim to deter gambling. Uganda’s 2023 ban on new foreign licenses and Tanzania’s regulatory tightening are steps in the right direction, but these are merely drops in an ocean of need.
African governments must designate gambling addiction as a public health priority, providing funding for treatment and support, following South Africa’s example of structured intervention. Community efforts, like peer support and radio campaigns, can also come in handy in reducing stigma. Mental health research needs urgent funding to develop culturally relevant tools and train professionals.
As betting apps and shops continue to multiply, the toll skyrockets. Africa cannot lose another generation to this epidemic. It is time to act, stop the bleeding, protect the vulnerable, and reclaim the future. The stakes are too high to ignore.
