THE PREVALENCE OF WORKPLACE INTERNET GAMBLING AND ITS EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY: A SURVEY AMONG EMPLOYEES OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of workplace internet gambling and its effect on employee productivity among selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. A correlational survey design was adopted, with a population comprising employees from five manufacturing firms such as General Plastic Nigeria Ltd, Zenith Plastic, Neo China Rubber and Footwear Industry Ltd, Prazic Limited, and Conglomerates Ltd. A total of 200 respondents were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, applying Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at a 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed strong and statistically significant negative relationships between gambling frequency and both work performance (r = -0.612, p < 0.05) and work attendance (r = -0.548, p < 0.05). Similarly, platform accessibility showed significant negative correlations with work performance (r = -0.493, p < 0.05) and work attendance (r = -0.465, p < 0.05). These findings indicate that frequent engagement in online gambling and easy accessibility to gambling platforms during work hours significantly reduce employee efficiency, punctuality, and organizational productivity. The study concludes that workplace internet gambling poses a serious threat to employee discipline and performance in the manufacturing sector. It recommends that organizations should enforce strict internet-use policies, implement digital monitoring systems, and organize awareness campaigns and counselling programmes to curb workplace gambling.