The new silent pandemic in the world is gambling and Africa and Nigeria are no exceptions. While the allures of get rich quick may be enticing, the dangers of gambling particularly among the youth can no be over emphasized. Everyday new people tends to start the journey of gambling as it is the commonest possible source of income without certificate, jobs or experiences. Many people believe that it is a harmless activity especially when it has not eaten deep into the person and off course is a good source of income to the shop owners. So they pay deaf ears to controls and prevention mechanisms.
Reports had it that there are over 65 million Nigerians that actively engage in gambling with a total amount of $975 million spent everyday across different platforms according to National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF). Well one can argue that the number is this high because of lack of jobs and employment for the youths. In this blog post, we will be looking into the dangers associated with betting among Nigerian youths.
Even with just a mobile phone, you can fund your betting account and bet at your own convenience, you don't necessarily need to visit the shops or own a computer to do so. The ease of betting has greatly contribute to the high and increasing number of males, females and aged people that engage in it.
Dangers of Betting
Some of the possible dangers faced by youths that engage in betting are as follows;
Addictions
One of the commonest problem, faced by people that engage into gambling is addiction. While addiction is a serious concern, people hardly pay attention to it not until it gets to a critical stage. When a person can no longer control himself from betting even with the detrimental effects it has on him, the person can be said to be addicted to it. The urge to play even without analyzing options, with high chances of him not winning.
The constant pursuit of big win at all cost can eventually lead to depression, compulsive behaviors, anxiety and even thought of suicide if it is not forth coming. There are stories everywhere in Nigeria villages, cities where people sold expensive properties just to gamble, used their school fees to gamble and eventually dropped out of school, some wreck their businesses just for gambling and move back to village to become useless.
Gambling addictions can cause people to neglect their their emotional and physical health which can lead to serious effects. While addictions can be cured, prevents has always remained the best option. So everyone engaging in gambling should as a matter of urgency put his gambling activities into check. Maybe no matter the urge, make a budget of how much you will spend a day, week or month even with or without winnings.
Financial Difficulties
The most immediate danger of gambling is the financial consequences young individuals with limited finance get from it. The promise of quick money or enticing options can lead to your early grave, because it will make you stake recklessly, go into borrowing or selling valuable items just to gamble. Many Nigerians eager to be financially independent always who chose gambling mostly run to this financial difficulties.
Just as I have stated earlier, to avoid this problem, one should have a budget of the amount he can spend on betting whether he wins or not. He should be disciplined with money.
Impact on Education
Brilliant people who turn to betting don't always remain the same. The time spend on betting often reduce the time which would have been used to read. As a result the academic performance of many young Nigerians tend to suffer because of divided attention. One may wonder while most of the betting shops are located close to schools and markets, it is so because youths are the highest patronizers of the gambling business.
Relationship Issues
Many relationships that should have happened many no because many girls detest gamblers. Also so many relationships has been broken just be finding out that one of the partners is a gambler. Gambling on its own can hinder communication in relationship because when an individual becomes consumed with the urge to get rich quick, he tends to neglect their responsibilities to family and friends. This leads to broken relationships, isolation and a sense of despair that further confirms it's negative impact on mental health.
Exploitation and Crime
Unchecked gambling can lead to some many youths exploiting their parents, younger people in the society or classmates just to satisfy the urge to gamble. When the desperation is not controlled and there is no means of exploiting people, they may venture into other forms of criminal activities to fund their gambling lifestyle.
This not only put the safety of the individual involved but contributes to the rise in crime in the society.
Prostitution
It is not new that ladies involve in gambling as well and the number of ladies joining this virus keeps increasing everyday. Female addicts turn to prostitution just to fund their gambling lifestyle which exposes them to diseases and drugs in the process of prostitution.
Conclusion
The dangers of betting among Nigerian youths needs urgent attention to save the futures of some of them. As a nation, it is necessary to implement comprehensive educational policies that prohibits students from gambling, awareness about the risk involved and dangers, then advocate for the responsible gambling practice for those that will abstain.