Playing the odds: The rise of soccer betting houses as a livelihood option in Harare, Zimbabwe

Chiweshe, Manase Kudzai

doi:10.1080/14660970.2019.1671828

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This messages echoes bettor perceptions reported in studies in Zimbabwe and Ghana. 21,22 Such messaging is misleading at best and has significant potential to lead to reduction of household spending power. Malawi is among the lowest income countries in the world, 53 has high levels of malnutrition, 54 faces significant burdens of disease 55 and low levels of primary school completion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 More recently, Chiweshe has documented the rise of football betting in Zimbabwe, highlighting how bettors have come to position their practice as a livelihood, fed by stories of large, life-changing wins. 21 In Ghana, Tagoe and colleagues also found that a love of football was often reported as a motivator of youth betting and framed as a way of obtaining money. 22 Ahaibwe and colleagues examined the socio-economic impacts of gambling in Kampala, where ~20% of adults have gambled on sports in last year, with male participation reaching 10 times the level among women.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The growth of sports betting in Malawi: corporate strategies, public space and public health

Bunn

Mtema²,

Songo

et al. 2020

Public Health

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ObjectivesGambling is increasingly positioned as a public health issue, with links to a wide range of harms for individuals, communities and societies. Malawi has experienced a rapid rise in the availability of high street and online sports betting services, situated in a context of extreme inequality and poverty. We aim to document the strategies through which a leading sports betting firm have established a market worth MK2.1bn, in order to inform future initiatives to mitigate gambling-related harm. Study DesignA case study of strategies deployed by a leading firm to grow a sports betting market in Malawi. MethodsWe undertook a qualitative media analysis of articles from 6 major Malawian news outlets and combined this with photographic evidence relating to company advertising and presence in Malawian public space. Data were analysed thematically and triangulated to generate a typology of corporate strategies. ResultsWe collected 39 articles and 15 photographs. After we screened the articles, we analysed 27 and identified 7 corporate strategies: adopt a mobile network franchise model; use media coverage; purchase high-visibility advertising; sponsor locally; build association with (European) football; appeal to aspects of hegemonic masculinity; construct narratives of individual and collective benefit. ConclusionMalawi has been exposed to a sophisticated set of corporate strategies aimed at growing a sports betting market. These strategies have been successful, and it is likely that a range of foreseeable gambling-related harms are affecting Malawi. We offer suggestions for how policy makers and public health professionals might respond.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The growth of sports betting in Malawi: corporate strategies, public space and public health

Bunn

Mtema²,

Songo

et al. 2020

Public Health

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“…TPB is relevant to sport betting because, firstly, it talks of subject's perception of the behaviour. Bettors see betting as favourable (Chiweshe, 2019) because it offers an avenue of identity and loyalty to their favorite teams and sport (Akanle and Fageyinbo, 2016;Tira and Jackson, 2015), it provides an extra source of income (Akanle and Fageyinbo, 2016), it is an expression of data gathering, intelligence and research (Ates, 2004;Chiweshe, 2019), and perhaps; above all, their possible ticket out of poverty (Chiweshe, 2019), hence, continuous patronage. Second, the subjective norm, which is; what will people I regard think of me if they saw me engaging in sports bet.…”

Section: Underpinning Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It hardly phases these sports bettors. Because across developing countries, they are mostly from poor homes battling underemployment, unemployment (Chiweshe, 2019) and/or homelessness (Wright et al, 2019), in other words, have little or no pride left to lose. Therefore, the fear that accompanies such thoughts are non-existent.…”

Section: Underpinning Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many youths are unemployed in Nigeria, inequality and poverty is high among this group of the citizen who now channel their love for the sport into playing betting games as succor for their unemployment and means of making a living (Akanle and Fageyinbo, 2016). A study by Chiweshe (2019) opined that youth engagement in sports bet was a direct result of high unemployment in developing regions; hence, studies to replicate and validate the results are needed. This necessitated the formulation of the following hypothesis to see if unemployment among Nigerian youth has anything to do with the increasing involvement in betting games: H1.…”

Section: Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment: the Nigerian perspective

Olaore

Adejare

Udofia

2020

JHASS

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Purpose Betting games have become a global industry worth billions of dollars providing employment to millions and contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several countries. While there are debates and controversies surrounding betting games discourse, a growing body of literature shows that it has been exacerbated by growing unemployment rates. This paper aims to examine the nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment from the Nigerian perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts simple random and stratified sampling techniques to select participants for the study. Three hypotheses were tested for this study and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The three hypotheses tested in this study were coined from previous literature. The study established a direct link between technology advancement, promises of winning big coupled with bonuses while unemployment was not significant to youth involvement in betting games. The study also showed that playing betting games provides another source of income to the youth, who are already engaged in one form of work or another. Finally, youth involvement in betting games has created awareness regarding different sports in the world, while contributing to Nigeria’s economy. Practical implications As betting games centre as a business in Nigeria has contributed substantially and positively to unemployment in Nigeria; the Government of Nigeria are encouraged to streamline and regulate the activities of the sector such that they can contribute significantly to the country GDP and provide employment opportunities to the youths. Originality/value The research shows that the reason why betting games have a massive turnaround of youths in Nigeria is not majorly because of unemployment but as another means to a substantial financial individual/family income. Thus, Nigerian youths see betting games as an avenue to make more money. The study is the first of its kind to examine the nexus between betting games, technology and unemployment hence, its contribution to knowledge.

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Men and Football in Africa

Chiweshe,

Choto

2024

The Palgrave Handbook of African Men and Masculinities

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Playing the odds: The rise of soccer betting houses as a livelihood option in Harare, Zimbabwe

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

The growth of sports betting in Malawi: corporate strategies, public space and public health

The growth of sports betting in Malawi: corporate strategies, public space and public health

The nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment: the Nigerian perspective

Men and Football in Africa

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