Understanding Contemporary Gambling Culture, Trends and Harm Minimisation Policies on the African Continent

The African gambling industry has undergone a significant transformation in recent years and continues to evolve. A key element driving this transformation has been advancements in modern technology that has not only made gambling more accessible to the masses - including some of the most vulnerable strata in African societies, such as the poor and underage - but has also impacted attitudes and norms in relation to online gambling consumption. While it is true that the growth of the African gambling industry has provided an additional revenue stream to governments, it has brought a range of gambling harms in Africa. This Research Topic aims to examine gambling trends and the consequences of the expansion of the commercial gambling industry in African societies and how governments across the continent are becoming more involved in shaping policies to tackle gambling-related harms.

This Research Topic aims to draw on emphasis from the public health, sociology, and policy spheres to understand the effects of the ongoing expansion of the gambling sector in different African countries. Specifically, we aim to understand the cultural, geographical, political, and socio-economical elements linked to the intensification of the commercial gambling industry in Africa. Sub-themes for this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Gambling and its relationship to sustainable development in Africa;
• The need for public health policies and interventions to prevent and reduce gambling harm in African societies;
• Reception and responses to recommendations by African governments to regulate the gambling sector;
• Intimate partner violence and strained relationships;
• Gambling trends among African youth;
• The role of technology in regard to the growth of gambling across African countries;
• Roles of culture in gambling and gambling addiction;
• Gambling marketing strategies and advertising in relation to shaping gambling habits;
• Gendered perspectives/dimensions of gambling harms.

Submissions of the following article types will be considered for this collection: Brief Research Report, Clinical Trial, Community Case Study, General Commentary, Hypothesis & Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Policy Brief, Policy and Practice Reviews, Review, Systematic Review.

Keywords: gambling, gambling policies, gambling industry, minimisation policies, gambling trends, gambling marketing strategies, Africa

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.