1.Introduction
In recent years, sports betting has become a significant part of the social and economic landscape in Africa (Daniel et al., 2024; Tagoe, Yendork & Asante, 2018; Wangari, 2017). With the rise of mobile technology and the increasing accessibility of online betting platforms, sports betting has captured the attention of a large segment of the population, especially the youth (Lopez-Gonzalez et al., 2017; James et al., 2017; Coates & Blaszczynski, 2013). The allure of quick financial rewards, coupled with the entertainment value of sports, has made betting an attractive option for many youths (Lui, 2022; Arthur, Williams, & Delfabbro, 2016). However, this growing trend raises concerns about its potential negative consequences on the mental, social, and economic well-being of young people. While the benefits of sports betting, such as employment creation and increased government revenue, are acknowledged, there is a need to critically examine its darker side, including its impact on youth behavior, addiction, and socio-economic vulnerability. This review explores these concerns through the lens of security contagion, a concept that can help explain how behaviors, attitudes, and risks associated with sports betting can spread within vulnerable communities and pose broader social security threats.
2. Methodology
This article adopted a holistic and interdisciplinary approach in looking at the framing, experience and regulation of sports betting among the urban youth in Africa. The methodology covers an integrated analytical framework, a critical review and a media analysis which were guided by ethics. The methods were selected according to the aim of studying the structural and ideological dimensions of sports betting in Africa.
2.1 Analytical framework
Security Contagion refers to the spread of risks, behaviors, or attitudes across communities or groups through social interactions, media influence, and environmental exposure (Martínez et al., 2023; Riggio & Riggio, 2023). This concept suggests that vulnerabilities in one part of society can rapidly extend to others, especially when individuals or groups adopt risky behaviors based on peer influence, media portrayal, or normalised patterns in society (Masur et al., 2021). Specifically, security contagion can be framed as social security contagion, economic security contagion and psychological security contagion.
Social Security Contagion will focus on the influence of peer pressure and social networks in spreading behaviors like sport betting behaviors (Riggio & Riggio, 2023; Burgess et al., 2018). The review will examine how the increasing prevalence of betting within youth communities, amplified by social media and peer groups, leads to a normalisation of risky betting behaviors and influences young people to engage in gambling (Brady et al., 2020). It will also look at how certain social environments, such as urban areas or specific youth subcultures, may become more prone to these behaviors. Economic security contagion will explore how the pursuit of quick financial gain through betting can lead to economic vulnerability among young people. This contagion of financial insecurity can result in addiction, debt, and the eventual breakdown of financial stability. Moreover, it will examine the broader economic consequences, including how betting habits affect employment prospects, savings, and the economic mobility of youth. Through psychological security contagion, the psychological impact of sports betting will be analysed, with a focus on how emotional and cognitive vulnerability can spread within youth populations (Kim et al., 2021). This includes the potential for gambling addiction, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, and the erosion of coping mechanisms due to the pressures of betting. The role of media and advertising in shaping attitudes toward gambling will also be discussed in this context.
By applying the security contagion framework, this review will provide a comprehensive understanding of how sports betting influences not just individual youths but also creates broader societal vulnerabilities in Ghana and beyond.
2.2 Critical review
This study undertook a critical review of available literature, policy documents in addition to sports betting reports with an emphasis on youth participation in Africa. A systematic review was done in identifying academic and grey literature. This was done by searching databases like JSTOR, PubMed, Google Scholar as well as institutional repositories for keywords such as sports betting, youth gambling, investment versus exploitation, critical theory and gambling, and urban youth and betting practices. Furthermore, these were combined with Boolean operators, AND or OR, in an effort to refine the search across diverse disciplinary perspectives.
To ensure relevance and depth, the review employed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals, reports by international organisations and government policy documents were prioritised if they addressed youth gambling behaviour, the socio-economic implications of sports betting, or regulatory frameworks. Excluded from the review were sources with insufficient empirical evidence in addition to those that narrowly focused on gambling types unrelated to sports betting and those done outside Africa. The temporal scope covered literature published from 2014 to 2024 in order to capture modern trends while at the same time acknowledging the historical transformation of betting practices.
Out of the 12 articles that satisfied the aforementioned inclusion criteria, 10 were peer-reviewed while the remaining two were PhD thesis. Thematic analysis was then used to analyse these articles according to the themes identified. Major themes identified and critically interrogated were cognitive biases in youth decision-making, structural inequalities, cultural influences affecting attitudes towards betting, and the regulatory dynamics. Through the critical review, the study discovered patterns as well as contradictions within the dual framing of sports betting as investment and exploitation. The themes were interpreted using the analytical framework to present a comprehensive perspective.
2.3 Social media analysis
The media analysis explored how sports betting is portrayed and consumed through various media platforms, including advertisements, social media, news outlets, and user-generated content. A specific focus was placed on YouTube, where the study examined views, comment sections, and user engagement with betting-related videos. This approach sought to uncover the narratives and ideologies that influence youth perceptions and behaviours toward sports betting, particularly in urban settings.
First, the relevant media content was systematically identified and collected. These included advertisements from betting websites and YouTube channels of leading gambling houses found in Ghana and across the world. Following that, relevant hashtags, posts, as well as paid promotion, all promoting gambling were traced from social media platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram. Uploads on YouTube, testimonies, advertisements, and influencer-endorsed promotions, among other things were analysed. Metrics such as views, likes, shares and comments were used to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the content. Lastly, comment sections of the posts were reviewed for emerging themes, sentiments, and patterns of user engagement, which helped understand how the audiences perceived and engaged with these content.
A thematic analysis of this media content was conducted. Key themes that emerged were aspirational marketing, whereby betting is portrayed as the means to financial independence; gamification and entertainment, where fun and participation, rather than risks, are emphasised and community discourses, where varied opinions on YouTube comment sections had portrayed sport betting as either an opportunity or a harmful activity. Many comments reflected youth struggles with losses as well as addiction while others celebrated wins or debated over strategies; this therefore provided a rich qualitative dataset for analysis.
3. Results
This section highlights the findings from the review of 10 academic articles as well as the two grey literature. The studies were analysed to examine the different perspectives on sports betting Table 1 summarises the key themes and the country of focus. It also presents findings of the media analysis, carried out to investigate how sports betting is represented and consumed across different media platforms.
| Author | Country of focus | Key themes |
| Olaotire et al., 2023 | Nigeria | Viewed as supplementary income and economic benefit rather than a response to unemployment |
| Maziku & Kisongo (2022) | Tanzania | Spot betting is seen as risky activity that needs careful assessment to prevent financial losses |
| Yendork, Asante & Nii Boye Quarshie (2023) | Ghana | Peer influence, alcohol and media culture play a significant role in shaping betting behaviours |
| Kayode et al., (2020) | Nigeria | Leads to social harm such as truancy, aggression and illegal activities like stealing |
| Toklo (2024). | Ghana | Increase in the prevalence of advertising across various mediums. |
| Ofosu & Kortey (2019) | Ghana | Sport betting offers quick financial reward but lacks the formal structure of investment strategies |
| Alade & Daniels (2024) | Nigeria | External promotion tactics ae key factor in shaping betting behaviour positioning it as a consumer choice |
| Manu et al., (2024) | Ghana | Intervention to mitigate the negative psychological effects on sport betting |
| Adjei & Mensah (2023) | Ghana | Acknowledges the potential for profit but highlights the risks and addictive nature of sport betting |
| Boateng (2020) | Ghana | Brought about an addictive behaviour which may lead to heavy reliance on drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism when they lose. |
| Bunn et l., 2020 | Malawi | Malawi has experienced a rapid rise in the availability of high street and online sports betting services, situated in a context of extreme inequality and poverty. |
| Christelle (2018) | Uganda | There is significant involvement of the youth in sport bet gambling, which there after it highly affects the youths’ economic development making them dwell more in unemployment, poverty and drug abuse |
| Nabifo, Izudi, & Bajunirwe, 2021 | Uganda | Sports-betting is common among these young male motorcycle riders, and is associated with both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Interventions to regulate sports-betting may be co-packaged with those to reduce alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking among young adult males. |
The YouTube interview with a Ghanaian male youth struggling with the outcomes of betting, had garnered 21,428 views as of March 9th, 2025. Some themes that came out in this video were addiction, financial troubles, and alienation. The interviewee disclosed that his debt was over GHC 200,000 and this has affected his marriage, given his gambling problem. The over 300 comments below the video provided further reactions and thus reflected community discourse and lived experience. One commenter captured the cyclical nature of gambling addiction by typing that, “there’s always a voice that tells you to give up but you would always want to recover one last time trust the one last time, it never ends” (Comment 1, 2025). Another comment criticised betting platforms for perpetuating hyperreality and simulation, with users chasing elusive big wins. He typed that:
what these guys don’t know is, the majority of the big wins comes from their circle.. These companies do bet also.. and they know the algorithm, so u may see someone winning 500k but it’s not the normal people on the platform.. that’s what triggers these guys to go all out.. in my opinion, this platform needs to be banned.. cos people are being ruined.. and it’s sad (Comment 2, 2025)
The influence of celebrity endorsements emerged as another theme. A commenter attributed their initial engagement with betting to the interviewer’s post on X featuring a “bet master”. He commented that, “I started betting when you posted a guy called [mentioned name] on X. Now, I’ve dropped out of university. I was studying nursing with a second class upper” (Comment 3, 2025). The referenced post read: “ [name of the bet master] Toaso! (meaning continue) You can all try again this weekend. Bet responsibly and pay attention to the bet master, (tagged the betmaster and a popular betting company in Ghana) (Post on X, December 12, 2019). This post had 294 reposts, 30 quotes, and over 3,000 likes, showcasing how celebrity culture and influencer endorsement play a role in shaping the perceptions and behaviours of youth toward betting.
The examination of media included skits in which social media personalities endorse gambling platforms, portraying such platforms as gateways to life-altering opportunities. In one of such skit that was uploaded on Facebook, He (the influencer) who always promoted a particular betting platform in most of his videos on other social platforms like TikTok encouraged a young man whose girlfriend was about to leave him because he was broke to try betting on a particular platform, promoting its high returns and easy access. Via dramatisation and humor, the skit professed betting to be a simple solution to money problems as well as a restorer of relationships. Engagement on this content was huge, with more than 29,000 views, 209 comments, and 150 shares. The Nairaland forum also had threads discussing the influencer type of promotion for betting. One user posted that:
Why I believe this is wrong is that they all promote (name of the betting platform) like an investment platform; in fact, most of them use it in their skits to say how it changes their lives, and one of the top skit makers usually says, “IT IS VERY HARD TO LOSE YOUR MONEY ON (name of the betting platform),” (Nairaland Forum 1, 2022)
Another comment said, “Do you know that 7 in 10 of them do not gamble? They know how dangerous it is (Nairaland Forum 2, 2024). Specifically, a comment highlights the exploitative nature of these promotions where influencers profit from driving others to engage in betting activities. The comment wrote, “The skit makers are hustlers and business men/women. They get paid for their skits and when you use their promo code, they cash out as referral (Naira land, 2024).
4. Discussion
By applying the concept of security contagion, focusing on social, economic, and psychological vulnerabilities, the findings reveal how betting behaviors become normalised and can cascade throughout society, particularly affecting young people.The concept of social security contagion is evident in several themes across the studies, particularly in the way peer influence, alcohol consumption, and media culture spread betting behaviors. For instance, Yendork et al. (2023) identify peer influence as a significant driver of sports betting, particularly within youth communities. Social networks, including friends and online influencers, play a large role in encouraging participation in betting activities. This is also highlighted in the YouTube interview with a Ghanaian youth, where the individual reflects on the addictive nature of gambling and how it spreads through personal networks. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of sports betting advertisements and media representations, as reported by Toklo (2024), shows how exposure in urban and youth subcultures can normalise risky betting behaviors. The skit makers’ endorsement of betting platforms in a humorous light, as seen on Facebook and TikTok, also reinforces this social contagion. These skits, which present betting as a way to resolve financial difficulties or restore relationships, further demonstrate how peer influence and media play a role in spreading betting behaviors.
The economic consequences of betting behaviors emerge as another key theme in the analysis. Several studies point out that sports betting is perceived by many youths as a quick way to earn money, creating an economic contagion that spreads across vulnerable populations. Olaotire et al. (2023) note that in Nigeria, betting is seen not as a leisure activity but as a form of supplementary income, especially among those who are unemployed. This reflects a broader pattern where individuals are drawn into betting activities with the hope of quick financial gain, which often leads to negative economic outcomes such as addiction and debt. In Ghana and other countries like Uganda and Malawi, sports betting is linked to poor economic mobility, with youths spending excessive amounts of money on betting and facing financial instability as a result. The commentaries on the YouTube video further illustrate how sports betting leads to personal financial ruin, as individuals spiral deeper into debt, unable to escape the cycle. The issue of debt accumulation and financial instability is highlighted as a direct result of the economic contagion that spreads as more youths engage in gambling in hopes of achieving financial success, which rarely materialises.
The psychological impacts of sports betting form a critical component of the review’s findings, as gambling addiction and mental health issues are frequently mentioned in the literature. The Ghanaian youth interviewed on YouTube revealed the psychological burden of gambling addiction, sharing how his emotional distress and financial troubles had affected his personal life, including his marriage. This indicates how psychological vulnerability spreads within communities, where individuals who fall into addiction become more isolated and face deteriorating mental health.
The findings from studies like those by Boateng (2020) and Manu et al. (2024) also reveal that sports betting often leads to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and a loss of coping mechanisms, as individuals struggle to deal with the pressure of gambling. Furthermore, the comments from the YouTube video, where one individual speaks about the ongoing cycle of wanting to “recover one last time”, highlight the psychological toll of betting, which is further exacerbated by social pressures and the media.
The analysis of media representation further emphasises how media platforms contribute to the spread of gambling behaviors, aligning with the concept of psychological security contagion. The prevalence of celebrity endorsements, as highlighted in the case of the Ghanaian influencer’s post on X, is shown to have a direct influence on the betting behavior of youth. These endorsements normalise betting and often downplay the risks involved, framing it as a pathway to financial success and social status. As one commenter from the YouTube video explains, this representation can trigger others to start betting, leading them down the same path of financial and psychological ruin. The example of the skit maker’s promotion on Facebook demonstrates how influencers use humor and dramatisation to downplay the harmful effects of betting, presenting it as a solution to financial and relationship issues. This type of media portrayal contributes to a broader psychological contagion, where viewers, particularly vulnerable youth, adopt these behaviors without fully understanding the associated risks.
Conclusion
The findings from the studies and media analysis clearly illustrate how the concept of security contagion plays out in the context of sports betting. Social, economic, and psychological vulnerabilities spread through peer pressure, media representations, and the promise of quick financial gain. The behaviors of individuals in one community can quickly influence others, creating a cycle of addiction, financial instability, and mental health challenges. The media’s portrayal of gambling, particularly through celebrity endorsements and skits, plays a pivotal role in normalising these risky behaviors and exacerbating the contagion.
Interventions to combat the spread of sports betting behaviors should therefore address not only the individual but also the broader social, economic, and media environments that promote these behaviors. By understanding the multifaceted nature of security contagion, policymakers and stakeholders can better target their efforts to prevent the spread of gambling addiction and mitigate its harmful effects on youth in Ghana and beyond.
Reference
Adjei, M. Y., & Mensah, A. (2023). The Effects of Sports Betting on the Moral Behaviours of Students in Colleges of Education in Ghana. Journal of Education and Learning Technology, 26-39. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2023421
Alade , M. O., & Daniel, H. A. (2023). Skit Influencers Marketing as a Predictor of Sports Betting Intentions among Male Undergraduates of Bowen University, Nigeria . Icheke Journal of the Faculty of Humanities , 22(1), 151-162.
Arthur, J. N., Williams, R. J., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2016). The conceptual and empirical relationship between gambling, investing, and speculation. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(4), 580-591. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.5.2016.084
Boateng, B. B (2020). Sports betting among youth in Cape Coast Metropolis (Master’s dissertation, University of Cape Coast ).
Brady, W. J., Crockett, M. J., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2020). The MAD Model of Moral Contagion: The Role of Motivation, Attention, and Design in the Spread of Moralized Content Online. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(4), 978-1010. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620917336 (Original work published 2020)
Bunn, C., Mtema, O., Songo, J., & Udedi, M. (2020). The growth of sports betting in Malawi: Corporate strategies, public space and public health. Public Health, 184, 95-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.03.022
Burgess, L. G., Riddell, P. M., Fancourt, A., & Murayama, K. (2018). The Influence of Social Contagion Within Education: A Motivational Perspective. Mind, Brain, and Education, 12(4), 164-174. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12178
Christelle, S. (2018). Effects of sports betting on youth economic development in Kalerwe trading center in Uganda (Doctoral dissertation, Kampala International University, College of Humanities and Social Sciences).
Coates, E. , & Blaszczynski, A. (2013). An analysis of switching and non‐switching slot machine player behaviour. Journal of Gambling Studies, 29, 631–645. doi:10.1007/s10899‐012‐9329‐6
Daniel, F., Ukoaka, B. M., Essien, E. M., & Emeruwa, V. E. (2024). Youth Sports Betting and Problem Gambling in the Global and Nigerian Context: A Review. Nigeria Medical Journal, 65(5), 547-556.
James, R. J. E., O’Malley, C., & Tunney, R. J. (2017). Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: A behavioural synthesis. British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953), 108(3), 608–625. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12226
Kayode, I. A., Mohammed, S. Y., Abdulganiyu, O., & Moshood, I. (2020). Socio-economic implications of gambling behaviour among youth in ilorin metropolis. Benue Journal of Sociology , 8(1), 124-137.
KIM, Heejung S., EOM, Kimin, CHUANG, Roxie, & SHERMAN, David K..(2021). Psychology and the threat of contagion: Feeling vulnerable to a disease moderates the link between xenophobic thoughts and support for ingroup-protective actions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, , 1-18.
Liu, J (2022), Sports Betting as an Investment? Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4373533
Lopez-Gonzalez, H., Guerrero-Solé, F., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). A content analysis of how ‘normal’ sports betting behaviour is represented in gambling advertising. Addiction Research & Theory, 26(3), 238-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2017.1353082
Manu, E., Acquah, F., Douglas, M., Akitty, E., Zanu, E. P., Ampomah, M. A., & Adoma, P. O. (2024). Betting high, feeling low: a cross-sectional examination of gambling severity and psychological distress among Ghanaian youth. BMC public health, 24(1), 2032. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19550-2
Martínez, V., Jiménez-Molina, Á., & Gerber, M. M. (2023). Social contagion, violence, and suicide among adolescents. Current opinion in psychiatry, 36(3), 237–242. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000858
Masur, P. K., DiFranzo, D., & Bazarova, N. N. (2021). Behavioral contagion on social media: Effects of social norms, design interventions, and critical media literacy on self-disclosure. PloS one, 16(7), e0254670. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254670
Maziku, P., & Kisongo, S. (2022). Effects of Sport Betting Practices on Income and Livelihood Among Youths in the Dodoma City, Tanzania. Sustainable Education and Development – Making Cities and Human Settlements Inclusive, Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable, 605-613. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90973-4_50
Nabifo, S. C., Izudi, J., & Bajunirwe, F. (2021). Alcohol consumption and sports-betting among young male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in urban southwestern Uganda. BMC Public Health, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10406-7
Ofosu, A., & Kotey, R. A. (2019). Does Sports Betting Affect Investment Behaviour? Evidence from Ghanaian Sports Betting Participants. Journal of Gambling Issues, 43, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2019.43.5
Olaore, G. O., Adejare, B. O., & Udofia, E. E. (2020). The nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment: The Nigerian perspective. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhass-02-2020-0026
Riggio, R. E., & Riggio, C. R. (2023). Social contagion. Encyclopedia of Mental Health, 270-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91497-0.00192-2
Tagoe, V. N. K., Yendork, J. S., & Asante, K. O. (2018). Gambling among Youth in Contemporary Ghana: Understanding, Initiation, and Perceived Benefits. Africa Today, 64(3), 53. https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.64.3.03
Toklo, S. (2024). The rise of online and sports betting in Ghana: Observations, driving factors, and societal implications. Critical Gambling Studies, 5(1),
65–75. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs201
Wangari, N. (2017, March 31). Mobile gambling among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. GeoPoll. https://www.geopoll.com/blog/mobile-gambling-amongyouth-in-sub-saharan-africa
Yendork, J. S., Asante, K. O., & Nii-Boye Quarshie, E. (2023). Football Betting Among University Students in Ghana. Research in the Sociology of Sport, 89-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1476-285420230000018007
