‘Get Rich Quick Syndrome’: The Involvement of Juveniles in Sport Gambling in Delta Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

Abstract

This study sought to investigate "get rich quick syndrome": the involvement of juveniles in sports gambling in Delta Central Senatorial District, Delta State. The study design is a correlational survey that explains relationships between two or more variables (get-rich- quick syndrome and juvenile involvement in sports betting). The research employed "rational choice theory" to explain the phenomena of "get quick syndrome" and "juvenile involvement in sports betting and gambling." The population of this study consisted of 62,451 students from 178 public secondary schools in Delta Central Senatorial District. The sample size of 2400 junior and senior secondary students from the eight (8) sampled schools was used for the study. The instruments that were used for the study were questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of two sections (A and B). Section A contained socio-demographic information, and Section B contained questions and views of respondents on the "get rich quick syndrome" and juvenile involvement in sport gambling in Delta Central Senatorial District, Delta State. An inferential statistic was used in testing the hypotheses, while Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test hypothesis one and an independent t-test for hypothesis two of the study. Findings from the study revealed that there is a strong and positive correlation between get-rich-quick syndrome and juvenile involvement in sports gambling in the Delta Central Senatorial District in Delta State. A recommendation was made that sensitization and workshops should be effectively organized by school counselors to educate juveniles on the damage and adverse effects of sports gambling as well as get- rich-quick syndrome on their lives