Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 16;21(1):363.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10406-7.

Alcohol consumption and sports-betting among young male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in urban southwestern Uganda

Stella Cheryl Nabifo  1 , Jonathan Izudi  1 , Francis Bajunirwe  2
Affiliations

Alcohol consumption and sports-betting among young male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in urban southwestern Uganda

Stella Cheryl Nabifo et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The popularity of sports-betting is growing globally and may be associated with alcohol consumption among young adults. In this study, we examine the relationship between alcohol consumption plus other substances with sports-betting in a group of young adult males in Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and interviewed male motorcycle taxi boda boda riders in the southwestern Uganda town of Mbarara. We asked questions about alcohol consumption, smoking plus history and frequency of sports-betting.

Results: We enrolled 401 riders. The median age was 29.0 years, interquartile range 25-32 years. Seventy four (18.5%) had engaged in sports-betting in the past 30 days. Among those that reported sports-betting, 16(21.6%) engaged daily or almost daily. Alcohol use was significantly associated with sports-betting with an adjusted risk ratio (aRR) of 2.08(95% CI 1.36, 3.18) among moderate drinkers but not among heavy drinkers in comparison to low or non-drinkers. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with sports-betting with an aRR 1.85(95% CI 1.13, 3.01).

Conclusion: Sports-betting is common among these young male motorcycle riders, and is associated with both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Interventions to regulate sports-betting may be co-packaged with those to reduce alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking among young adult males.

Keywords: Alcohol consumption; Sports-betting; Uganda; Young males.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

References

    1. Bunn C, Ireland R, Minton J, Holman D, Philpott M, Chambers S. Shirt sponsorship by gambling companies in the English and Scottish premier leagues: global reach and public health concerns. Soccer Soc. 2019;20(6):824–835. doi: 10.1080/14660970.2018.1425682. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Foley-Train J. Sports betting: Commercial and integrity issues. Report prepared for the Association of British Bookmakers, European Gaming and Betting Association, European Sport Security Association and Remote Gambling Association Retrieved January 2014, 21. 2015.
    1. Lopez-Gonzalez H, Griffiths MD. Betting, Forex trading, and fantasy gaming sponsorships-a responsible marketing inquiry into the 'Gamblification' of English football. Int J Ment Heal Addict. 2018;16(2):404–419. doi: 10.1007/s11469-017-9788-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Herskowitz S. Gambling, saving, and lumpy expenditures: sports betting in Uganda. Berkeley: University of California; 2016.
    1. Ahaibwe G, Lakuma PC, Katunze M, Mawejje J. Socio-economic effects of gambling: evidence from Kampala City, Uganda. Kampala: Economic Policy Research Center; 2016. pp. 2–17.

Publication types