Experiences of youths involved in sports betting during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from Rujeko, Masvingo Urban

Abstract

The meteoric rise and exponential growth of sports betting all over the world in contemporary years is undeniable. Its popularity has spread like wildfire and ultimately pervaded people from all walks of life. Ultimately, sports betting practice which was initially frowned upon and thought to be a moral vice in the past is now taking the world by storm. This study sought to qualitatively explore the experiences of youths involved in sports betting during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research was prompted by the shift in patterns of gambling activities during this Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Zimbabwe. The research sought to establish how sports betting influenced the experiences of young adults during the pandemic era and proffer solutions to problems associated with gambling. The corpus of the paper was a phenomenological research design. A total of nine (9) youths involved in sports betting, ranging from 18 – 40 years were purposively selected to attend to in-depth interviews. Qualitative data was thematically sifted and the following themes were generated: 1. Gambling for socio-economic benefits, 2. Sports batting is directly linked to financial quandary, 3. Punters fell prey to scammers on online betting, and 4. Young adults wallowing in sports betting were susceptible to a pathological gambling disorder. The study recommended that the government must decree strict legislative measures in order to short circuit compulsive gambling disorders.