From fun to obsession: Hidden dangers of gambling addiction

It was betting (gambling) that made me realise I could play games using my ceiling. I would look up at the ceiling and begin to arrange the wood filings in my mind.

At that time, I almost died,” a former gambling addict can be heard saying in Yoruba in a viral video recently shared on TikTok by a user named Erosneephy.

He added,

“I once reached the point where I could no longer sleep on my bed; I began to sleep under it. I didn’t have a bed frame, so I would lift the mattress and place it over me to sleep because I was afraid that the people I owed money would come to my house to find me.

“When you play virtual gambling up to a certain level, you will soon reach the point where you will be trekking from a place like Sango (Ogun State) to Oshodi (Lagos State) and you won’t even know. All you would just be saying to yourself is, ‘Why didn’t five click? If five had clicked, oh maybe they didn’t use Saka.’ You will be talking as if you have the game planned out in your brain.”

The scenario he described was not all that different from the one shared by a young man who gave his name simply as Ademola, while speaking with our correspondent.

He said,

“I was working as a loan officer in Lagos, and this virtual game drove me to the ground. I emptied my account just to bet, and at a point, I started to sell my belongings and take loans from people and even loan apps just to keep up.

“I became as poor as a rat and I literally became a beggar to people I used to support with money. When the debt became too much, I had to quit my job and run away from where I was living because the shame was too much.”

Evolution of gambling

Although gambling is a popular human activity with a long history spanning several centuries, the industry has significantly grown, spreading across various countries of the world, including Nigeria.

Although pool betting was introduced in Nigeria as far back as the 1920s during British colonial rule, lately, it has morphed from games played in casinos to virtual sports betting.

“With technology and online sports betting platforms now available, Nigerians into gambling now find it easy to place bets away from prying and judgmental eyes,” – says Score Nigeria.

“Being able to deposit and stake football games right on your mobile phone has brought comfort to sports gambling. The ease of betting keeps a lot of players going. Also, depending on their preferred online gambling sites, they may be enjoying certain side benefits.”

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that these virtual bets are common in all cities and towns across the country.

Many bettors visit gambling sheds or shops to play these virtual sports bets, the outcome of which depends on the results of Random Number Generators.

According to an estimate, approximately 66 per cent of Nigerians have placed a bet on a sporting event at least once in their lives.

“Online gaming is extremely popular and expanding quickly,” – says Betblog.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that approximately 60 million citizens aged between 18 and 40 engage in sports betting.

Data from the National Lottery Trust Fund revealed that over 65 million citizens spend an average of $15 daily on sports betting.

Lawmakers raise alarm

In May, during a public hearing to curtail the dangerous effects of sports betting, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who was represented by Julius Ihonvbere, decried the negative effects of gambling on youths.

He stated,

“This dangerous indulgence is becoming more and more prevalent in our country, with many Nigerians, particularly our youths, becoming increasingly addicted to such acts.

“The ultimate consequences of the obsession to gamble and bet, as you are all aware, include psychological and emotional instability, financial drain, workplace derangement leading to depression, stress, health issues, and family crises.”

In February, the House also resolved to stop sports betting in the country and urged the National Lottery Regulatory Commission to comply with the Lottery Regulatory Commission Act of 2005.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by a lawmaker representing Rivers State, Kelechi Nwogu, during a plenary in Abuja.

According to the lawmaker, weak or neglected regulations of sports betting have given rise to mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and addiction.

Nwogu added that it had also led to strained or broken relationships due to lying or stealing from friends and family, financial problems, legal issues, and job loss due to excessive losses or debt.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to conduct a comprehensive nationwide campaign to raise public awareness about the negative impact of youth participation in sports betting.

A data analyst, Emmanuel Hassan, pointed out to our correspondent that proponents of all forms of gambling often deliberately underplay addiction, which many participants quickly fall into.

“Betting addiction isn’t talked about enough. You’ll hear defenders of gambling saying anybody can be addicted to food or drink or alcohol, but the fact remains that such a parallelism is flawed.”

“Addiction to betting is not a joke, and it’s bigger than drugs. You would do anything to risk betting with the hope of making more money, and this kind of addiction is very hard to stop,” – he noted.

A mental health expert, Dr Bright Oris-Ohwerhi, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, explained that during the act of gambling, a hormone called dopamine is released into the brain, which interrupts normal activity.

He explained,

“Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterised by a compulsive need to indulge in a particular behaviour, and in this case, gambling. What that does is that the person begins to depend on the activity to achieve some kind of reward.

“So when someone gambles and wins, or during the act of gambling, a hormone is released in the brain called dopamine. That dopamine is called ‘the reward hormone,’ so when a person consistently continues to gamble and dopamine is released in excessive amounts when they don’t gamble, they feel like they can’t experience pleasure anymore or experience pleasure in normal, healthy, or natural activities.

“That is because all of the brain is now consumed with gambling as a way of receiving the brain’s reward. These changes occur at the brain level. This makes the habit compulsive and affects the person in certain ways because the person now sees gambling as the only activity through which they can experience pleasure.”

“So, this results in financial problems because people can go into debt just because they want to gamble. There is always that need or feeling of ‘I’m going to win and hit it next time, so let me put in some more money,’ and this, of course, leads to bankruptcy.”

“People can go to great lengths to achieve this because they might resort to illegal activities just to get resources that will fund their gambling. Don’t forget it’s now compulsive. At that stage, the person is addicted to gambling.”

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