Mental Health Dynamics and Emotional Responses Before, During, and After Gambling: A Cross-Sectional Study of Male and Female Bettors in Sagamu, Ogun State

Gambling in Nigeria, particularly in Sagamu, Ogun State, has transformed from a recreational activity into a socially embedded coping mechanism driven by complex psychosocial factors. Despite the rapid expansion of betting outlets and online platforms, empirical evidence exploring the emotional, motivational, and contextual dimensions of gambling behaviour remains limited. This study therefore examined the motives, urges, and emotional reactions that sustain gambling among active bettors in Sagamu. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, involving 362 respondents recruited through opportunity and volunteer sampling from local betting hubs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire combining the Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ-F), Gambling Urge Scale (GUS), and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), with strong internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.898). Analysis using SPSS v25 employed descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression at a 0.05 significance level. Findings indicated that coping and social motives were dominant, while boredom and peer influence emerged as underexplored but powerful motivators. Although the thrill motive was moderately endorsed (58.8%), half of the participants reported gambling “always” when bored (50.3%). Regression analyses showed that gambling motives and urges weakly predicted emotional reactions, implying that gambling persistence is driven less by financial incentives and more by affective regulation and social reinforcement. The study concludes that gambling in Sagamu represents involves both gender and not the male affairs alone. Also, Gabling is an affective, socially mediated adaptation rather than a purely economic pursuit, calling for targeted psychosocial interventions and policy reforms addressing emotion regulation and structured leisure opportunities.