A mental health expert and cognitive behavioural therapist Victoria Mupinde has warned that the levels of uncontrolled betting in Zambia are worrying as betting is an addictive venture and a danger to people’s mental health.
Mupinde has noted that betting in Zambia has become a “get-rich-quick scheme,” for desperate low and middle-income earners and a major cause of acute stress and depression. She has called on policymakers to not wait until it’s too late.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of gambling disorders among adults varies between 0·1% and 5·8%, but the problem health issue is often overlooked and under-prioritized by health policymakers.
The secondary effects of poor mental health can be chronic diseases such as increased risk of cardiovascular events. Coping mechanisms for mental ill-health stemming from problem gambling include alcohol and substance misuse and in some cases drug abuse.
Mupinde explained that one-way Betting affects users is in the form of loss or grief that happens after losing a bet. “This usually occurs when the investment hasn’t been realized after betting which poses a danger to one’s mental health. Betting also causes other mental health issues such as acute stress and depression”.
Another challenge of betting on one’s mental health is that “it’s an addictive venture. The more you bet, the more you get addicted and the more you are convinced on believing that betting is the easiest and the quickest way to make little money in such a short space of time.”
She noted that when betting reaches an addiction stage, individuals resort to theft, entering into debt, and selling their personal belongings to satisfy their addiction.
“When betting becomes addictive, individuals no longer bet because they want extra money but they now begin to bet because they want to feed their urge. So when it reaches a stage where an individual now wants to satisfy their urge, the individual does anything and everything to satisfy their urge”.
One of the things that we see individuals do to satisfy their urge for betting is resorting to theft, entering into debt, selling personal belongings and it may consume a lot of their productivity time because all they want to do is to bet,” said Mupinde.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Bussines Times – ZBT, Mupinde said this is made possible as the more people bet, the more they feel that betting is the easiest and the quickest way to make little money in a short space of time when the consequences are dire that the benefits.
Mupinde added that with the coming in of digital error, betting like any other financial scheme has come with a lot of challenges because now, one doesn’t need to go to a betting center but can download a betting application on their phone and begin betting, which makes it easier for users to bet at any given time of the day.
She warned that anything that becomes a danger or affects one’s productivity, performance, or relationships is a danger to one’s mental health.
Mupinde has since called on the government to regulate the betting industry and increase financial literacy awareness on the dangers of the “get rich quick schemes,” such as betting to save lives, especially the young ones.
“We would love to call on major stakeholders in this industry, the government, ZICTA, and mobile money companies to bring some form of regulation to this industry and also we call for the increase in financial literacy awareness which should mainly focus on the dangers of get rich quick schemes which is what betting is. We also want to call on stakeholders, and individuals to particularly care for their mental health” said Mupinde.