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The slow pace of development in Africa dictates the primary focus to be on mining and agriculture. Such an environment, where poor people predominate over the middle class and entrepreneurs with stable incomes, becomes a good support in the fields of gambling, sports betting, and lotteries. For instance, Nigeria, as one of the African nations that plays the most, counts dozens of companies that provide such services, and perhaps only South Africa has a chance to compete for the title of the most gambling African country.

International companies, like SportyBet, open their doors in various countries and always strive to expand their presence. But do these bookmakers and casinos stand a chance of attracting locals with insufficient income to gamble? In this article, we will try to dig deeper into the problem of poverty and analyse if low income earners are really more likely to gamble, with particular attention to Zimbabwe.

The state of many economies can be easily explained by the enormous damage to local industries and high levels of self-employment. These factors came into reality because of the recent crisis caused by COVID restrictions and previous global financial issues. As a result, the bankruptcy of companies that didn’t manage to overcome financial obstacles has added its contribution to the complete picture. The absence of high-tech companies and the entire economy focusing on agriculture and mining does not make a situation something that’s easy to solve. All of these factors contribute to the country’s relatively high and rising level of unemployment, which is estimated by the International Labour Organisation to be 5.5 percent in 2022. Thus, many Zimbabweans, especially young people and the unemployed, join the ranks of gamblers and bettors in the pursuit of making some money.

While the economy has been recovering, the gambling industry has taken roots and started spreading across the country. All of Zimbabwe’s major cities have various representatives of each form of gambling: land-based casinos, bookmakers, and local lottery hosts. Obviously, the largest concentration of these companies has settled in the capital city, Harare.
Not every single person with a low income runs to place a bet or gamble. The mandatory spread of the “Responsible Gambling” initiative and educational promotions bear fruit, and a good part of young people are giving up the idea of tying their income to risky business. Yet a significant part of poor people still believe that there’s nothing wrong with trying their luck with the small amount of money they have, and the increasing number of gamblers, sadly for the community, indicates just that. It’s undoubtedly proven that gambling will never act as the key to the socio-economic problems that Zimbabwe and many other countries experience. It’s more like the consequential product of financial desperation that the economy cannot overcome. Gambling as a form of entertainment will never fade away; it’s been around for decades. And while this phenomenon has always been practiced in the world, the growth of its popularity always indicates the presence of acute social and economic issues.
To summarise, there are currently a plethora of prerequisites to begin gambling regardless of your financial situation. A poor person and a rich businessman are both fighting the same tempting desire to utilize gambling as a side gig. We’d like to suggest some meaningful factors to watch out for if you’d like to give sports betting or gambling a shot:
Gamble only a preselected amount of money. This is crucial to staying above the red line and keeping your financial health in good shape. Set a limit for daily, weekly, and monthly use in order not to lose track of your spending. Remember that you should only use money that you can afford to let go without any rough consequences for you and the people who depend on you.
Always learn and strive for new tactics if you decide to gamble. If you’d like to have a decent chance of not wasting your money, keep a rational approach to sports betting and playing in casinos. Learn as much as you can about the game, teams, lineups, rules, individual athletes, their previous performances, statistics, and much more, which we do not mention, if you are inclined towards sports betting. Scrupulously study the game, its rules, and patterns if you’d like to win in a casino. No matter what you choose, become a master at what you’re doing.

Support responsible gambling and avoid getting a gambling addiction. Having everything under control is your number one priority when you’re a gambler or bettor. It’s easy to lose patience and start losing more in an attempt to make up for previous losses. Any money-making company, whether a bookmaker or a casino, will not stop your irrational behaviour, but when the time comes to pay back, you can be certain that they will fully charge you with no mercy.
To conclude, we’d like to form the correct perception of gambling in your mind. As said, it’s been around for a while, and cities have not fallen apart because of it, and you won’t either. Think of it, first and foremost, as entertainment that can potentially bring in some money. The wrong path begins when you intend to make a living from it, which can be a critical error in some cases. As a responsible person, you should look after friends and colleagues around you and give them a helping hand if required. Each country ensures psychological assistance to people with gambling addictions, and there’s no shame in seeking help. Keep in mind our small guidelines if you still want to give this industry a try.