In recent years, the money invested in sports betting has reached staggering levels. In the EU alone, the value of online betting is estimated at £16.5 billion. But it’s not only in Europe that sports betting has become so widespread. Soccer-betting houses are an emerging and growing phenomenon in Zimbabwe.
In this episode, Dr Manase Kudzai Chiweshe joins us to discuss the history of sports betting in Zimbabwe and the forms it takes today.
Betting was virtually non-existent in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, but the introduction of a money economy after its colonisation created both a market for gambling and the accompanying sporting activities. However, as the colonial government of Southern Rhodesia at the time was concerned with the social problems gambling might create, legislation was introduced - forcing punters underground until the mid-20th century. Today, economic hardship and unemployment in Zimbabwe have fuelled the rise of sports betting and, in a worrying trend, gambling in soccer-betting houses as a livelihood option is becoming more and more common among the unemployed.
...all this and more in the 26th episode of the Football and Society podcast.
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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.
From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.