Gambling gains ground among youth: A call for parental guidance

Gambling among the youth in Uganda has increasingly become popular as it is perceived as a platform with the potential to bring effortless quick cash.

Fifty-seven percent of Ugandan youth between the ages of 17-35 years are reported to have participated in gambling.

The desire to gamble stems from excessive screen time or gaming, encouraging children to fall into unhealthy patterns of gambling.

According to Denis Ngabirano, CEO of the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board, parents need to regulate screen time for children.

“I want to call upon parents, especially those with teenagers, to monitor the use of mobile phones,” Ngabirano explained. “You find a teenager playing Candy Crush, excited about redeeming and earning points, and these are the same games offered for money.”

He further noted, “So tell me, what stops that young one from now playing for money instead of earning points?”

“You give a child a phone, and they will forget everything around them. You find them playing a game, and you cannot stop them. It is a big problem,” Ngabirano said, reflecting on children’s excessive love for phones.

“Therefore, limit the amount of time they are allowed to use phones or any other electronic devices. Parents should also act as examples to model the behavior for teenagers,” Ngabirano advised.

The World Health Organization advises that sedentary screen time, including playing video games, is not recommended for 1-year-old infants and should be limited to no more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2-4 years.

Embrace the Good Side

For most people, gambling is a recreational activity. It is a social experience, a form of entertainment, and a chance to bond with friends over common interests like sporting events or a weekend card game.

Admittedly, the majority of people will gamble without ever suffering any negative effects from it.

“Yes, gambling has its bad side, but it also has its good side, and we are saying can we use its good side to mitigate its bad side,” Ngabirano told Vision Sports.

“That is our focus, but we must tell people the truth, and the truth is, gambling has been here before Christ, it is here with us, and it is going to stay with us,” he remarked.

“Gambling is evolving. For example, there is a great opportunity for ICT (Information and Communication Technology), especially for young, skilled Ugandan IT technicians,” Ngabirano said.

“100% of operators outsource software from abroad, and my focus now is how do I tap into that opportunity? How do I rally innovators to come and tap into this money that goes out there?” Ngabirano mentioned.

The gambling market size worldwide has grown strongly in recent years. It has increased from USD 540.27 billion in 2023 to USD 580.36 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate of 7.4%. It is projected to grow to USD 744.76 billion in 2028.

In Uganda, gambling revenue skyrocketed from UGX 500 billion in 2021-22 to UGX 4.3 trillion in 2023-24, and the NLGRB is targeting a revenue turnover of UGX 250 billion for the financial year 2024.

Even though the numbers are appealing and attractive, gambling still holds a negative perception in the public eye.

“Truthfully, bad perception is one of the biggest problems we are dealing with, but gambling is here to stay,” Ngabirano said.

“I can give you a quick example. In mainland China, gambling was outlawed, but the urge for the Chinese to gamble could not be controlled, which is why they created Macau, the island where gambling is allowed,” he further stated.

“The major economic activity in Macau is gambling, and in the last nine months, they have done a turnover of USD 9 billion. So that basically tells you what gambling is.”

“I just want people to accept the reality and know that gambling is part of us. Just like alcohol and drug abuse, these are vices we have been dealing with, so the focus should be on mitigating them,” Ngabirano remarked while acknowledging the adverse effects of gambling.