VOA慢速英语：对非洲体育博彩的担忧日益加剧

In at least five African countries, many people consider sports gambling as a way to get regular income.

在至少五个非洲国家，人们认为体育赌博是获得正常收入的一种方式。

Some consider sports gambling a way out of poverty. But critics warn that sports betting in Africa is increasing while poverty, unemployment and a lack of industry rules remain big problems.

有些人认为体育赌博是摆脱贫困的途径。但批评者警告说，非洲的体育博彩正在增加，而贫困、失业和缺乏行业规则仍然是大问题。

In one example, a Ugandan health official was so sure Argentina would win its World Cup soccer game against Saudi Arabia that he bet $1,800. The money was loaned to him by officials from an amount meant to go to 243 people who had taken part in a polio vaccine campaign.

例如，一名乌干达卫生官员非常确信阿根廷会在世界杯足球赛中战胜沙特阿拉伯队，因此他赌上了1800美元。这笔钱是官员们借给他的，本来是要给243名参加小儿麻痹症疫苗活动的人的。

Argentina lost the game, and the official lost the money. Later he was chased by an angry crowd and locked himself indoors for days. His supervisor said he could lose his job.

阿根廷输了比赛，这位官员也输了钱。后来他被愤怒的人群追赶，他把自己锁在屋里好几天。他的上司说他可能会失去工作。

In Uganda, the official's loss was a lot of money. Yearly income per person in the country was $840 in 2020.

在乌干达，这位官员的损失是一大笔钱。2020年，该国的人均年收入仅840美元。

Sports gamblers include students, politicians, workers or government officials.

体育赌博者包括学生、政治家、工人或政府官员。

Information on sports betting from all of Africa is not available. But data from a few countries show its growing popularity. Online gambling has grown in recent years. The increase has been driven by a growing use of mobile payments and demand for online entertainment. Much of the betting is on soccer games in Europe.

目前还无法获取整个非洲的体育博彩的信息。但一些国家的数据显示其越来越受欢迎。近年来，在线赌博有所增长。主要原因是移动支付的使用越来越多，以及对在线娱乐的需求。大部分的赌注是在欧洲的足球比赛上。

A South African government study from 2017 was among the most recent on gambling. It found that sports betting grew 14 percent a year between 2008 and 2016. But the number of South Africans who gambled fell from 57 percent to less than one third of the country's adult population.

南非政府2017年的一项研究是关于赌博的最新研究之一。该研究发现，在2008年至2016年期间，体育博彩的年增长率为14%。但参与赌博的南非人的数量从占该国成年人口的57%下降到不到三分之一。

Today, online sports betting makes up 45 percent of the South African gambling market. Just 10 years ago casinos held an 80 percent share of the market, said the National Gambling Board.

如今，在线体育博彩占南非博彩市场的45%。国家博彩委员会表示，就在10年前，赌场占据了80%的市场份额。

In Zimbabwe, most people do not make more than $100 a month. Sports betting there "has become a major income earner even for those who are in formal employment," said Japhet Moyo. He is secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. "The problem is that it becomes addictive and some lose their salaries to betting."

在津巴布韦，大多数人的月收入不超过100美元。贾费特·莫约说，那里的体育博彩“已经成为一项主要的收入来源，甚至对于那些有正式工作的人来说也是如此。”他是津巴布韦工会大会的秘书长。“问题是，赌博会让人上瘾，有些人会因为赌博而失去薪水。”

A salary is money earned from work.

薪水是指通过工作挣来的钱。

African gamblers often expect to pay for daily needs with gambling winnings. Philo Ragada is an unemployed schoolteacher in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. He bet on England to beat Senegal in a World Cup game. Ragada supported the African team but said he wanted England to win because "that's where my money is." His winnings, he said, would be "enough for tomorrow's bread and tomatoes."

非洲赌徒通常希望用赌博赢来的钱来支付日常生活所需的费用。斐洛·拉加达是津巴布韦首都哈拉雷的一名失业教师。他曾押注英格兰队会在世界杯比赛中击败塞内加尔队。拉加达支持非洲的足球队，但表示他希望英格兰队获胜，因为“那是我的钱之所在”。他说，他赢的钱“足够买明天的面包和西红柿”。

Wale Babalola is a college graduate in the Nigerian city of Lagos who owns eight betting shops after once struggling to find a job. "If not for betting, I wonder how some people will survive in this country."

威尔·巴巴罗拉是尼日利亚拉各斯市的一名大学毕业生，他在苦苦寻找工作后成为8家博彩店的老板。“如果不是因为赌博，我不知道有些人将如何在这个国家活下去。”

Concern about the industry is also growing. Reagan Wamajji is a researcher with the Uganda-based Center for Policy Analysis. He said there should be campaigns against gambling, especially sports betting. "However, it is such a lucrative business that meaningful reforms might be hard to push," he said.

对该行业的担忧也在增加。里根·瓦马吉是位于乌干达的政策分析中心的研究员。他说，应该开展反对赌博的运动，特别是体育博彩。他说："然而，这是一个利润丰厚的业务，可能很难推动有意义的改革。"

A Ugandan parliamentary group earlier this year suggested banning daytime betting.

今年早些时候，乌干达的一个议会小组建议禁止白天投注。

Neighboring Kenya has reported a decrease in gambling since 2019. That was when the country began taxing all bets. The government also withdrew the licenses of several major gambling companies.

邻国肯尼亚报告称，自2019年以来，赌博活动有所减少。该国也正是从那时开始对所有赌注征税。该国政府还吊销了几家大型赌博公司的执照。

A Kenyan government study said that gamblers who considered gambling a good way to make money fell by half to 11 percent between 2019 and 2021.

肯尼亚政府的一项研究称，在2019年至2021年期间，认为赌博是赚钱的好方法的赌徒减少了一半，降至11%。

For regular gamblers, especially those who bet money that is not theirs, the recent World Cup has been punishing.

对于经常赌博的人来说，尤其是那些赌了不属于自己的钱的人，最近的世界杯让他们受到了惩罚。

Gideon Matua is a security guard in Uganda. He said two friends recently lost their jobs after losing other people's money.

吉迪恩·马图阿是乌干达的一名保安。他说，最近有两个朋友在输掉别人的钱后失去了工作。

"I've seen very many people here crying," he said. "Someone comes here and puts a big amount on one team. If the team loses, they just go home. Some of them have been chased away from their jobs."

我看到这里有非常多的人在哭，他说。"有人来到这里，在一支球队上投入了大量资金。如果球队输了，他们就回家了。他们中的一些人已经失去了工作。"

I'm Dan Novak.

丹·诺瓦克报道。