Much has been written about the negative aspects of sports betting, including the risk of gambling addiction and becoming involved in money laundering.

But recent research from Zimbabwe has shown that there are perhaps surprising upsides to the practice, too.

Research by Dr. Martin Magidi from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Prof. Tavengwa Gwekwerere, an associate Professor of Pan-African Studies at the California State University in Los Angeles examined how young men in urban Zimbabwe used soccer betting to mitigate the effects of unemployment and to earn an income amongst other benefits.

Dr. Magidi joins us on the line to unpack their research findings.