๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ ๐ข ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ.
The research, titled โGambling Effects Among Vulnerable Groups in Public Universities,โ found that over 70% of students and staff are engaged in gambling activities, with 27.5 per cent of students sampled categorised as high-risk habitual gamblers and 41.6 per cent of students and 4.8 per cent of staff categorised as moderate-risk gamblers by the Canadian Problem Gambling Severity Index tool.
The study, sponsored by the Bristol University Hub for gambling harms research, sampled 385 students and 21 staff members through Snowball and Purposive sampling.
The University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emily Akuno, described the findings as accurate but intolerable, but said the University Council should consider changing its fee payment policy to deter gambling.
According to the survey, on average, students and staff win bets amounting to Sh3.5 million each week but also lose bets amounting to Sh3.7 million each week, revealing an average loss of Sh200,000 over the same period.
โFrom the report, it is clear that the students gamble using HELB loans or pocket money given by parents; some even sell their belongings to gamble while our staff take loans to engage in the vice,โ Prof. Akuno remarked.
The survey found that male students engaged in betting more than their female counterparts, and male staff were more prone to gambling than female staff.
The research findings suggest that stronger policies are required to regulate the gambling industry, which currently has over 120 companies operating in Kenya.
