Abstract:
The study investigated sports betting among students of colleges of education
in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used for
the study. The target population was students in colleges of education in the
Ashanti Region of Ghana. The simple random sampling procedure was
employed to select 361 students for the study. Questionnaire was used for data
collection. The Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for the questionnaire was 0.73.
Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and Kruskal Wallis H
test were used to analysed data. The results showed that students patronised
IXBet, EaziBet, EuroBet, SoccerCash [NLA] and Safari. It was found that, to
a great extent, students agreed that their involvement in sports betting was
low. Students reported that they engaged in sport betting to win cash and for
entertainment. Findings showed no statistically significant difference in
students’ involvement in sports betting on the basis age. It was concluded that
sport betting appeared more attractive to students since they offered free
bonuses for placing bets. It was recommended that Guidance and Counselling
Units on Colleges of Education campuses organise programmes to educate
students on the types of sports betting available in the market and what they
truly seek to offer clients. The Government and PRINCOF should develop
socially responsible regulations and statutes on sports betting that have the
potential of discouraging students’ involvement in the practice. Colleges of
Education should do screening of addictive bettors and refer them for
guidance and counselling.
