Patterns and Prevalence of Gambling Behaviour among Youths in South-West Nigeria: A Case Study of Youths in Oyo and Ekiti State (Published)
Gambling has become an activity that most Nigerian youths and adolescents engaged in, with accessibility due to available internet. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the patterns and prevalence of gambling behavior among youths in the South-West Nigeria. 320 participants were involved in the study. Four hypotheses were tested and result shows that there is a significant difference in the gambling behaviour of youth in Oyo and Ekiti State, Nigeria based on age (F(2,294) = 2.793, P(.009)<.05).also the research showed that there is a significant relationship between financial strain and gambling behaviour (r(297) = .561p<.05). Also, there is a significant relationship between personality and gambling. (r(297) = .275 p<.05). Furthermore, it was revealed that there is a relationship between depression and gambling behaviour. (r(297) = .321 p<.05). Findings were discussed in line with extant literature and recommendations were made.
Keywords: Behavior, Ekiti State, Gambling, Nigeria, Patterns, Youths