TITLE:
Games of Chance and Money of the Togolese National Lottery in Lomé
AUTHORS:
Damega Wenkourama, Saliou Salifou, Ireti Nethania Elie Ataigba, Sonia Kanekatoua, Essozimna Pita, Gnargogna Bawi, Mensah Kokou Soedje, Kolou Simliwa Dassa
KEYWORDS:
Pathological Gambling, Addiction, LONATO, Lomé
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.13 No.3,
July
20,
2023
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The addiction to games of chance
and money is frequently encountered among some players. The general objective of this study was
to describe the level of the gambling addiction
among the players of the Togolese National
Lottery (LONATO) in the city of Lomé. Method: This was a descriptive
cross-sectional study through non-random sampling by convenience surveys, conducted
on October 09, 2019 in 20 LONATO plying sites which affected 611 players. The screening
was done using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) questionnaire. Results: Of the 611 players surveyed, 55% were aged 18 to 35 years with an average age
of 36 years and the extremes ranging from 14 to 78 years. The male gender was in
the majority (84.26%). The prevalence of pathological gambling was 62.52%. Among
the pathological gamblers, 16.89% had a family
history of pathological gambling, 19.00% had a mood disorder, 28.50% had excessive alcoholism, and 17.15%
consumed another psychoactive substance. Cannabis was the most consumed
substance (6.87%) followed by tobacco
(6.07%) and soporific (6.07%). More than half of players (62.03%) thought
that pathological gambling is not a disease. Conclusion: The pathological gambling is a global phenomenon and
a reality in Togo. Raising everyone’s awareness will reduce its negative impact on the players.