Over 70% of youth in Uganda admit to gambling, student study finds

The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) of Uganda has acknowledged a recent student-led research project that sheds light on the accessibility and impact of gambling among young people in the country.

The study was conducted by students from Kampala International School Uganda (KISU) as part of their IGCSE Global Perspectives Team Project. The students reached out to the Board for support and were guided in developing a survey that gathered responses from 150 participants. All responses were collected anonymously to ensure confidentiality.

The research revealed that 70.3 percent of respondents admitted to participating in some form of gambling. These included sports betting, online casinos, lotteries, and scratch cards.

A significant concern highlighted by the study was the behavior of chasing losses. About 40.3 percent of the youth surveyed said they continued to gamble after losing money, hoping to recover their losses. In contrast, only 20.7 percent reported that they stop betting after a loss.

The students also found that the average amount of money lost was UGX 115,332, which is nearly three times higher than the average amount respondents believed they had gained from gambling.

Based on these findings, the students are now working in collaboration with the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board to launch an awareness campaign. The campaign will focus on educating young people about the dangers of underage and irresponsible gambling and promoting informed decision-making. The Board commended the students for their commitment to raising awareness on this important issue.