‘I was just trying to get money’: adolescent gambling, economic pressures, and psychological consequences in Nigeria’s hustle culture

Adolescents in economically constrained urban settings may encounter gambling within social environments shaped by financial pressure, peer influence, and aspirations for rapid financial success. This qualitative study explored adolescents’ gambling experiences in Lagos State, Nigeria. Participants comprised 16 adolescents aged 14–16 years (eight males and eight females) from eight public and private secondary schools across two educational districts, who participated in focus group discussions, and eight adult key informants (five teachers and three school counsellors) interviewed individually. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were developed: gambling as a normalised financial coping strategy; gambling within a broader ‘quick-money’ hustle culture; and psychological and educational consequences of gambling. Participants described betting as an accessible means of obtaining money when conventional financial support was inadequate, with peer networks reinforcing its social acceptability. Gambling-related losses were associated with stress, anxiety, financial worry, secrecy, shame, social withdrawal, and difficulties with concentration and school participation. Internet fraud emerged among a smaller subgroup as contextual evidence of the wider quick-money environment, rather than a progression from gambling. Findings highlight the need for adolescent gambling prevention addressing economic vulnerability, peer norms, financial expectations, and gambling-related harms through accessible psychosocial and school-based support.