Socio-Economic Variables and Gambling Addiction among Juveniles in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between socio-economic variables andgambling addiction among juveniles in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. specifically, the study examined the relationship between parental care, financial strain, parental influence, peer pressure and gambling addiction among juveniles in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. The study adopted cross sectional survey research design. The study adopted simple random and purposive sampling technique. Structured Questionnaires were administered to three hundred and eighty-four (384) juveniles selected for the study. Data was analysed using simple linear regression. All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.  The findings of the study revealed that there is significance relationship parental care, financial strain, parental influence, peer pressure and gambling addiction among juveniles in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommends that parents should encourage their children to participate in school-based extra-curricular activities such as sport, creative arts, or youth groupswhereby they can have the opportunity to broaden their social networks. This help keep them away from gambling.