Title: Research Framework: Betting Among Ugandan University Students
Authors: Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara, Musiimenta Nancy
Volume: 9
Issue: 10
Pages: 123-128
Publication Date: 2025/10/28
Abstract:
Background: The proliferation of sports betting platforms in Uganda has coincided with increased smartphone accessibility, creating unprecedented opportunities for university students to engage in gambling activities, raising concerns about the opportunity cost of betting expenditure versus productive investment. Objective: This study investigated the behavioral patterns and underlying factors influencing betting activities among Ugandan university students and compared these with their engagement in productive investment opportunities. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 385 university students across five universities in Central Uganda between March and June 2024, using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed usin descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, binary logistic regression, and multiple linear regression. Results: Betting prevalence was 60.0%, with bettors allocating an average of UGX 87,200 monthly to betting versus UGX 28,400 to productive investments. Peer influence emerged as the strongest predictor of betting participation (OR = 1.687, p < 0.001), while financial literacy demonstrated significant protective effects (OR = 0.868, p < 0.001). Among active bettors, monthly allowance (? = 0.352, p < 0.001) and betting frequency (? = 0.282, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of expenditure intensity, with the model explaining 47.2% of variance. Conclusion: Betting behavior among Ugandan university students was highly prevalent and driven primarily by peer influence and platform accessibility, with students allocating substantially more resources to betting than productive investments. Financial literacy and risk perception demonstrated protective effects but were insufficient to counteract powerful social and structural drivers of betting behavior. Recommendation: Universities should implement mandatory financial literacy programs addressing gambling psychology and opportunity costs, while government should strengthen regulatory frameworks restricting campus betting marketing and establish accessible alternative investment platforms tailored to students' financial capacities.