Sports betting is not new in Nigeria. In the old days, Gamblers were often ostracised because culturally, they were seen as deviants. But the internet has now made it easy for people to cast their bets, away from the judgemental glare of traditionalists.
Electronic mobile device availability means gamblers can now bet in privacy. And more privacy means more risk-taking and more gambling, so it is a vicious cycle. Today, you can find betting shops on almost every street corner.
Nigerian youths’ gaming addiction to sports betting has become a source of worry to many parents, community leaders, and others charged with the responsibility of grooming young people into adulthood.
Nowadays, young Nigerians are seen at betting centers daily, using their phones or other gadgets to place all kinds of bets on various football and other matches, sports personalities, and sporting activities.
While many do it as a form of fun, others see it as a means of putting food on their table.
However, whatever is the reason behind it, many observers say youth addiction to betting should be a source of concern to society. Among adults, the challenge is betting addiction.
Statistics has revealed that around 57.2% of school-age children in Nigeria were estimated to have gambled at least once in their lifetime, according to a 2019 paper on gambling in the country. In 2020, Nigeria’s sports betting industry crossed $2 billion in size.
According to Betblog data in 2023, approximately 66 percent of Nigerians, have placed bets on a sporting event at least once in their lives. Online gaming is extremely popular and expanding quickly.
“Revenue in (Nigeria’s) Online Sports Betting market is projected to surpass US$294.20m reported earlier this year by the end of 2024. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 6.45%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$402.20m by 2029’’, according to Statista.
Felix Okoh, a 40-year-old man who told City People that he began sports betting in early 2022, believes he has perfected the art of booking bets on his phone. He has high hopes of winning every day, but he loses most times, yet he believes he will win the following day. Undeterred by his losses, he strongly holds onto a dream of winning the jackpot. And so, every day he walks into a betting shop to try his luck; he doesn’t mind using his last kobo to place a bet.
Narrating his experiences, Okoh said, “I feel bad, especially in soccer when you stake 15 teams and one just ends up cutting it; it is very painful.
“I am the type that is limited in how much I stake. The highest stake I have done in sports betting is N800. My bets are mostly within the range of N100 and N200, with a possible return of N40,000 or N50,000. If it doesn’t come, I just take it and I am cool. So, I always watch what I stake. As time went on, I began to observe visuals. Sometimes I blame myself for investing the money,” he said.
According to him, betting has become a lifestyle that keeps him going. Although he continues to lose, he hopes for better days, which he has yet to experience.
“I know those who have made money from betting, built houses, and bought cars. A close friend told me that he used the money he got from betting to furnish his house. It is just what you set your mind on, as well as determination.
“I see that a gambler is always a loser, so anytime I stake my money, I believe it does not belong to me. I try, but I don’t put my mind to it since I am not sure of the outcome; I am just predicting,” he narrated.
In the same vein, Michael Babatunde said that it’s the easiest way of making money, as I dont presently have a job, but you’d need luck by your side to achieve that feat. The number of times I have played and lost is over 75 percent, ahead of winning. If you calculate the amount of money I have lost since I started playing, it is not up to what I won.
“It is the fastest and easiest way of making double money; it is also the easiest way to become poor. It makes people in cities relocate to their villages without anything. I have come to discover that 65 to 75 percent of games, either visual or normal betting (booking) are lost every day,” he said.
Another sports gambler, Victor (real name withheld) said: “Everybody is eager to make money, and you don’t need to ask how he makes it. You might not know who has the luck among those that have not started playing. You may win a huge amount of money that would change your life on your first day of playing. I cannot advise anybody now because even if you say they should not play, they will do it. Some people know how to predict.
“There was a time I had almost N30,000 in my pocket and went to bet. I wanted to try my luck and increase the money, but they finished it; and I had to give them my phone because I played other games, thinking that the one I played would come. It ended up the same way. I collected my phone back when I had the money to pay.
“I felt very bad because that was the only money I had. It really painful. And I could not do anything about it because I was the one that took myself there to play,” he said.
Several social media influencers and content creators with millions of followers frequently advertise massive returns on online sports betting in the country using platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram as bet tips for betting companies like Melbet, 1xbet, and Sportybet, Nairabet, Betking, Bet9ja, Msport and many others. This has lured millions of young Nigerians to gambling, which was once stigmatized in the country.
Experts told Rest of World, an online website that the influencer’s endorsements are fuelling an addiction as desperate youth look for ways to survive in a tough economic environment. They believe this trend is thriving because of an absence of government oversight.
In May 2023, social media was agog with the story of a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Samuel Adekoya, who committed suicide after gambling away his school fees on sports betting sites. He also stole his friend’s fees for more betting. Adekoya’s story is just one of millions whose lives are spiraling out of control in high-stakes addiction.
“Online sports betting in Nigeria has become more addictive because the influencers have also replicated the same social networking associated with [physical betting], where people converge online to maximize their chances of winning while offering privacy and convenience,” Tunde Adebisi, who researches youth culture and football gambling at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, told Rest of World.
He said influencers can be more effective at advertising gambling, compared to betting brands some of which have now begun working with the influencers.
“While sports betting is legal in Nigeria, the government needs to monitor the rise in influencer culture around it, Adebisi said. “The regulation does not address the reality in today’s world. It does not address the issues of influencers having to influence people to come and engage in betting,” he concluded.
–Benprince Ezeh
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