Online Gambling Addiction in Parakou (Benin, 2022)

Introduction: Online gambling is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. With its well-crafted visual and audio marketing, it is attracting more and more young people in Africa, where problems linked to employment and poverty are undermining youth. The consequences of gaming-related practices for health in general, and mental health in particular, are not negligible. The aim of this study was to measure the extent of the phenomenon within an urban community in Benin. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study with analytical aim conducted in the general population of Parakou, northern Benin, from December 2021 to November 2022. A self-administered questionnaire incorporating DSM 5 criteria for pathological gambling was used to collect data. Results: A total of 576 subjects divided into 30 clusters of 19 to 20 individuals consented to participate in the study. The proportion of gamblers was 30.56%. The prevalence of pathological gambling calculated according to DSM 5 criteria was 24.65% [21.31% - 28.33%] in the general population. The prevalence of severe pathological gambling was estimated at 8.16% [5.96% - 10.44%] in the general population. The prevalence of anxiety was 28.30% ([24.62% - 31.98%]), compared with 15.10% ([12.18% - 18.02%]) for depression. Factors with a significant association with pathological gambling were: age, access to online gambling, access to video games, exposure to gambling advertisement, having gambling friends, debt accumulation. A statistically significant link was also found between pathological gambling and anxiety/depression. Conclusion: The reality of pathological gambling in northern Benin calls for effective preventive action among vulnerable groups at national level, involving various actors at different levels.