“A 62 year old man from Kisumu has won the Sh20 million jackpot,” reads part of a headline in the local daily.
Ever wondered why guys from humble backgrounds always walk away with jackpot prizes?
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It is becoming quite the norm for Kenyans from humble-backgrounds to walk away with these huge jackpot prizes, well, from what we’ve observed from previous jackpot winners.
Point in case is the 62 year old man, Joseph Onywera, who before bagging the jackpot, was living below the poverty line and his wife had left him for failing to meet the basic needs as a man.
Samuel Abisai, the winner of the SportPesa mega jackpot (Sh221 million), worked with a Chinese firm and lived in Nairobi’s Roysambu area off the Thika Superhighway.
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Amidst all the celebrations that come with winning the top prize, one is left to wonder is it a calculated move by lottery companies to attract more poor people who are prone to persuasion or is it the hard toil by the poor to become rich?
I mean, how is that guys from upscale areas like Runda, Lavington or Kileleshwa don’t win the jackpot?
Compensatory patterns of behavior
Research shows that gambling is a way of draining frustrations resulting from unattainable demands imposed on individuals in modern societies.
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It is said to compensate for the monotony of daily work routines and as well relieves stress in a “socially acceptable” manner.
Lotteries are well suited to the release of tensions as they offer prizes that can transform the winner’s material situation.
A sea of fantasies
It is no surprise hearing a gambler saying what he’d do with the money once he “wins it.” Betting brings about daydreams of desired but unachievable status positions.
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That very thirst for the lottery makes gambling a vehicle for the momentary escape from reality.
Again, people with a general lower socio-economic status take betting as a matter of life and death. This is in sharp contrast to those in a higher socio-economic status who treat it as a hobby since for then it’s either one wins or loses.
All these sociological perspectives could point out as to why those from rather disadvantaged socio-economic positions walk away with the jackpot prizes. .So next time a gaming site says "We have a Jackpot winner", well, you can bet that he/she won't be from one of those affluent suburb places.
