Caleb V. B Balongo
This study investigated risk factors and prevalence of gambling among university students during academic disruptions brought about by such a case of lecturers' strikes, more so in public universities. A survey was used to collect data with a quantitative approach; a sample size of 620 students continuing with their academic work was randomly selected from 4 public universities in the Nairobi metropolitan area. The study established that several factors, such as socioeconomic factors like financial constraints, academic disruptions like lecturer strikes, environmental factors like exposure to betting platforms, and psychological factors like idleness and stress levels, contribute to gambling behaviours among students. The findings show that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds participate in risk gambling behaviour, which in the long run affects their academic progress and causes psychological distress. The most common form of gambling was sports betting, with the motivation of making quick money from betting. From the study, it was established that there’s a significant relationship between socioeconomic factors and gambling risk behaviours among students. The regulatory framework directly contributes to the growth of gambling in Kenya. Hence, in control measures, betting companies can adopt some technology that will only allow users to bet with limitations to ensure there is no overspending, thus preventing addictions of any kind. Institutions ought to invest in centers of counseling with the establishment of academic programmes geared towards creating awareness to promote responsible gambling even during times of academic disruptions in Kenyan public universities.