Youth Sports Betting and Problem Gambling in the Global and Nigerian Context: A Review

Sports betting, once confined to physical venues, has experienced an explosive surge in the popularity of online participation, particularly captivating young adults. This narrative review explores the current global perspectives of sports betting and its attendant implications for youths. We examined the prevalence, factors, potential risks, and effects such as financial losses, psychosocial issues, and problem gambling. This review presents current evidence on sports betting among youths and identifies trends, factors, potential harms, regulatory framework, and research gaps while recommending future directions to mitigate the challenge. Sports betting is a predominant form of gambling in the Americas and Europe. Interestingly, Nigeria also has a considerable proportion of youth involvement in this activity. Preferences for the type of sports vary across countries and depend on the most popular sports in the region, with football being a top choice in Spain and Nigeria. Online bet platforms are gaining traction due to convenience. Socio-demographic factors like age, gender, income levels, unemployment rates, and marketing campaigns play pivotal roles in sports betting. Participants can be motivated by monetary, recreational, social, or enhancement and coping reasons. Aside from obvious financial losses, sports betting has been implicated in academic failures, depression, suicidal ideation, and other social vices. Problem gambling and its attendant issues have also become an emerging problem for many countries as it poses a threat to their most productive population. However, it is crucial to note that the legalization and regulation of sports betting remains a highly contested subject in different countries. There is a need for stringent regulation and a collaborative approach to address gambling harms. Betting companies can take responsibility for creating public awareness of responsible gambling and harm reduction in sports betting. Additionally, they can make financial commitments toward the rehabilitation of problem gamblers.