What influenced African millennials into gambling?

For a generation that came of age on memes, meticulously curated social media, online gambling, mobile games and online forums, there’s been talk of a new antidote for internet ennui: it is called real life.

Smartphone influence

The average young African want a smartphone, those who have spends 6.5 hours a day on their phone, majority of those who spend such hours on phone are unemployed and the urge of using smartphones with the internet devices is evident that the cost of buying such devices as well as internet subscription in that regards might be too expensive for them as they’re unemployed, in which majority of them don’t have access too. With that at the back of they mind, most the young adults look for alternative means of making quick-buck, in which it eventually leads them to gambling and it becomes a habit, because it is another source of making money, especially the rate of young millennial that want to be on social medial is alarming on a daily basis.

Society influenced

The 1/3 of Africans are involved in one form of gambling and according to research by survey index indicate that one or two people in majority of the household or neighbors living in the same geographical area in Africa, must have participated in one form of gambling in the past or an active gamblers around or in a family. Though, these are part of the societal influence of gambling to majority of the millennial in Africa.

Influenced by peer group

One of the endanger of gambling addiction in Africa are friends influence according to survey that was conducted based one on one discussion with millenial by survey index out of 100/60 admitted to the fact that he learned how to gamble from they friends, especially during conversation or confrontation argument. For example, lets us use this as a case study two young adult got into an argument Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi, while the other said Messi is better, what comes to they mind is for we will need to bets on this to know who is better between Ronaldo and Messi and the winner takes all and it will be judge based on the two players statistics. Another clerical example is school; if one of the young adults is a gambler he could easily influence are peers into gambling through the sharing of the experience he had, how he won big in a sporting event.

Sports influence

We cannot deny the fact that the sports in one of the backbone of the growing popularity of gambling in Africa has the love for sports in this continent is on top of their list of choice of events, the young millennial particularly football, it is now a norm for them to watch a football event, during the weekend. The weekend football matches has become a problem for them has the love-affair for sports has got to them to the extent of been addicted to football matches and the love for they favourite football clubs, which they don’t mind wagering on them in turn which will give them the joy their desired if eventually they favourite team won the match in return it gives them a lot of fun as well as opportunity of making money from the said sports.

Article by Adeleye Awakan
Associate/Editor www.gbc.ng Africa’s digital gaming news portal. For consultant, Bookmaker’s review, Content, thoughtful leadership article Africa gambling industry: feel free to reach me [email protected], Linkedin Adeleye Awakan.

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