Case Report: A gambling-related suicide in rural Malawi - PubMed (original) (raw)
Case Reports
Case Report: A gambling-related suicide in rural Malawi
Junious Mabo Sichali et al. Wellcome Open Res. 2021.
Abstract
Background As in many other countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Malawi's commercial gambling sector has grown considerably in recent years. Driven by the widespread availability of internet through mobile devices, the industry has penetrated both urban and rural settings. In Malawi the model commonly implemented by gambling companies is similar to that used by mobile phone operators. Agents equipped with cellular devices connect to providers' servers to place wagers for customers and print receipts using simple printers attached to their devices. This has produced lucrative returns for providers. While increasing attention is being paid to this trend, most research focusses on sports betting and there is a deficit of papers that document gambling-related harms. Methods Here we present a narrative case report of a 16-year-old boy, 'Wati' (pseudonym), who lived in rural Malawi and took his own life after gambling and losing money that did not belong to him. As his community is part of a demographic surveillance site, a verbal autopsy was conducted, later supplemented with interviews with Wati's close friend and uncle, to whom his mother referred us. We triangulated data from these three sources to create a narrative case report of Wati's suicide and its relationship to his gambling practices. Results We found that the gambling harms leading up to Wati's suicide were recurrent, that his gambling practices were diverse (lottery, football betting, digital games and cards) and that signs of distress were apparent before his suicide. Conclusions From this case report, we learn that underage individuals participate in gambling in Malawi, can develop harmful habits and that their gambling is not confined to sports betting. We also learn that there is a lack of accessible services for people who develop harmful gambling practices. Wati could have benefited from such services and they may have saved his life.
Keywords: Betting; Gambling; Malawi; Mental Health; Suicide.
Copyright: © 2021 Sichali JM et al.
Conflict of interest statement
No competing interests were disclosed.
Figures
Figure 1.. Gross Revenue from sports betting and fixed odds lottery markets in Malawi 2015–2021.
Similar articles
- Gambling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional Forms and Emerging Technologies.
Bitanihirwe BKY, Adebisi T, Bunn C, Ssewanyana D, Darby P, Kitchin P. Bitanihirwe BKY, et al. Curr Addict Rep. 2022;9(4):373-384. doi: 10.1007/s40429-022-00449-0. Epub 2022 Oct 25. Curr Addict Rep. 2022. PMID: 36312763 Free PMC article. Review. - The growth of sports betting in Malawi: corporate strategies, public space and public health.
Bunn C, Mtema O, Songo J, Udedi M. Bunn C, et al. Public Health. 2020 Jul;184:95-101. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.03.022. Epub 2020 May 25. Public Health. 2020. PMID: 32466981 - A comparative content analysis of media reporting of sports betting in Australia: lessons for public health media advocacy approaches.
David JL, Thomas SL, Randle M, Bowe SJ, Daube M. David JL, et al. BMC Public Health. 2017 Nov 14;17(1):878. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4866-7. BMC Public Health. 2017. PMID: 29137609 Free PMC article. - Who makes in-play bets? Investigating the demographics, psychological characteristics, and gambling-related harms of in-play sports bettors.
Vieira JL, Coelho SG, Snaychuk LA, Parmar PK, Keough MT, Kim HS. Vieira JL, et al. J Behav Addict. 2023 Jun 19;12(2):547-556. doi: 10.1556/2006.2023.00030. Print 2023 Jun 29. J Behav Addict. 2023. PMID: 37335776 Free PMC article. - A scoping review of the association between loot boxes, esports, skin betting, and token wagering with gambling and video gaming behaviors.
Kim HS, Leslie RD, Stewart SH, King DL, Demetrovics Z, Andrade ALM, Choi JS, Tavares H, Almeida B, Hodgins DC. Kim HS, et al. J Behav Addict. 2023 May 9;12(2):309-351. doi: 10.1556/2006.2023.00013. Print 2023 Jun 29. J Behav Addict. 2023. PMID: 37159337 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
- The Interest in Betting, Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs in Malawi: Changing Trends between 2012-2022.
Demir G, Bandawe C. Demir G, et al. Malawi Med J. 2024 Mar 20;36(1):30-37. doi: 10.4314/mmj.v36i1.5. eCollection 2024 Mar. Malawi Med J. 2024. PMID: 39086368 Free PMC article. - Against the odds: exploring individuals' pushback mechanisms against commercialized football gambling.
Adebisi T, Aregbesola A, Taiwo-Abdul T. Adebisi T, et al. Front Public Health. 2024 Apr 5;12:1325465. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1325465. eCollection 2024. Front Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38645456 Free PMC article. - Gambling-related suicides and suicidality: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.
Marionneau V, Nikkinen J. Marionneau V, et al. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 26;13:980303. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.980303. eCollection 2022. Front Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 36387006 Free PMC article. - Gambling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional Forms and Emerging Technologies.
Bitanihirwe BKY, Adebisi T, Bunn C, Ssewanyana D, Darby P, Kitchin P. Bitanihirwe BKY, et al. Curr Addict Rep. 2022;9(4):373-384. doi: 10.1007/s40429-022-00449-0. Epub 2022 Oct 25. Curr Addict Rep. 2022. PMID: 36312763 Free PMC article. Review.
References
- Bunn C, Mtema O, Nkhwazi L, et al. : They say ‘easy money’, telling you to predict the games”: an interview study with sports bettors in Lilongwe, Malawi.In The Global Gambling Industry: Structures, Tactics and Networks of Impact.J. Nikkinen, V. Marionneau, and M. Egerer, Editors. In Press, Springer. Reference Source
- Akanle O, Fageyinbo K: The Social Phenomenon of Football: Football Betting in Nigeria. Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica. 2015;16(4):46–63. 10.5604/20842937.1189811 - DOI
- Akanle O, Fageyinbo KT: European football clubs and football betting among the youths in Nigeria. 2016;1–20. 10.1080/14660970.2016.1267625 - DOI
Publication types
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Research Materials