As sports betting grows in Africa, many see a real scourge

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA and FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — In at least five African countries, gamblers and experts said that many see the growing sports betting industry as a source of regular income, and a hope out of leaving poverty. Critics warn that sports betting in Africa is underpinned by widespread poverty, unemployment and poor or non-existent regulation. In Uganda, an East African country where annual income per capita was $840 in 2020, many see sports betting as a path to survival and perhaps even prosperity. They range from students to politicians, night watchmen to civil servants like a hapless health official who now is being asked to refund money he doesn’t have after losing money for immunization allowances on a World Cup game.