By Babatunde Ayedoju
Betting, lottery, pool; these are not strange words at all for many Nigerians, as even people who are not involved in such acts have relatives, friends and acquaintances who are involved in these activities which go with the generic name – gambling.
Whatever name we call it, it must be noted that gambling has been with us for a very long time, right from the days of the colonial masters. History has it that the British Colonial Government introduced ‘Pool betting’ to the Nigerian populace in the 1920s. The initial aim was to provide a mix of thrills and opportunities for expatriates from Britain and other parts of Europe.
In the early 1950s, the government established an agency saddled with the responsibility of regulating the bouts of pool betting in Nigeria.
This authority – the Nigerian Football Pools Association (NFPA) controlled the sports betting industry in Nigeria from the 1960s to the late 1970s.
In those days, Nigeria had both casinos and sports lottery. The latter, which became very popular in the 1990s, involved predicting the outcomes of sport events, especially football. However, this did not go unregulated, as, at various points in time, the Nigerian Government enacted laws to guide the betting industry.
In 2005, the Federal Government established the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), which by 2009 started issuing licences to gambling companies in Nigeria.
This age-old industry has now grown so big that recently the Director General of Cross River State Lottery and Gaming Agency, Michael Eja, revealed that out of the total population in the country, an estimated 60 million Nigerians gamble daily and that the thriving industry is currently valued between N500 billion and N600 billion.
Mr Eja who spoke at the launch of a new sports betting platform, Woskybet, in Abuja early in October added that despite this development, 90 percent of the potential market remains untapped.
He said, “The betting industry is worth about $1 billion in Africa. Lagos State alone generated $243 million in revenue last year. So, gambling is coming up huge. And people are beginning to understand the essence of gambling.”
The lottery boss who emphasised that gambling contributes to wealth redistribution and job creation added, “The gaming industry sells hope, aids in wealth redistribution, and creates jobs in Nigeria.
The government also benefits from the revenue generated by the industry. Over time, we will see an increase in the revenue that the gambling sector contributes to nation-building.”
According to Mr Jimmy Omole, a civil servant, who said that he plays nairabet and sportybet: “The betting sites work in several ways. When two clubs are playing, the betting site forecasts that team A will win while team B will lose or that both teams will score. It can also forecast that neither of the teams will score.
“There is another one called Baba Ijebu or lotto. I don’t play this one but a lot of people around me play it. Just like sport betting sites, Baba Ijebu forecasts numbers. Somebody who wants to play it will choose six figures. If at least three or four of the numbers the person has selected emerge that day, the person has won. Peradventure, all the six numbers emerge, that is a jackpot indeed.”
Mr Omole said that he believes in betting because it has enriched numerous people and created employment for a lot of jobless people. He said that it also provides money to fulfill financial obligations at home.
On the other hand, he pointed out that the risks are many, saying, “Once addicted, there is hardly anything that one cannot gamble with. It is so bad that some people sell their property to gamble and go back to square zero. I even know of people who have committed suicide because of the losses they suffered through gambling.”
Another civil servant who gave his name as Ayo said that he added that the present economic hardship in the country has left him and many other people with no other choice than to resort to betting, as there is no family member or friend that they can run to for financial help.
Mr Ayo said that, just like many people around him, he used to have a negative perception about people who bet until financial challenges left him with no other option than to give it a trial.
His words: “I am on betting platforms such as Sportybet, Winners Golden Bet, Nairabet and Xbet. However, the one that has earned me money mostly is Winners Golden Bet. It has platforms such as lucky ball, soccer and another one called Ajansare. I don’t know the English name. On Winners Golden Bet, you can stake for various European football leagues, you can also play live soccer.
“For lucky ball and Ajansare, the total winning is usually not more than N100,000, but one can lose as much as N600,000 to it. On the other hand, real soccer is highly economical because with no more than N500 one can win millions. There was a day I used N150 to win N135,000. Up till now, if I calculate all I have spent betting, it can’t be more than N100,000; meanwhile, between when I started betting and now I must have earned close to N900,000.”
He, however, cautioned against lucky ball and Ajansare, saying that some people lose their valuables to it. “By the time some bet and lose, they have to part with their shoes, phones, identity cards and some other belongings. So, it’s better to stick to platforms that are safe,” he added.
Kolade Lawal, a business man, said that betting, though highly addictive, can be financially rewarding and full of fun.
He said, “I don’t have so much experience in sports betting but one unforgettable experience I had with betting was a bonus called free bet on BetNaija. With the free bet I carried seven games with N500 and won N87,000. In BetNaija, when you have free bet, you have to roll it over three times. Due to inexperience, I put in large amounts like N27,000 only to be told by a more experienced relative that I should have put in smaller amounts. At the end of the day, I lost part of the money but was still able to pay my children’s school fees with the rest.”
He added that he is always careful to bet moderately, saying that, “Even on the betting sites they will say ‘betting can be addictive, so bet responsibly.’ A lot of people who are not so careful have suffered financial shipwreck through betting but I do it moderately and I believe it is safer that way.”
Kelvin Alaba, a business developer, said, “under sports betting, the odds come in various forms such as straight winning, win/draw, anybody to win, goals, both teams to score, first-half win and corner-kick.”
Alaba explained that because of advancement in technology, it is now possible and even more convenient to just download the apps for those betting sites and play from the comfort of the home.
He said, “you can just get the code on your phone, go to the shop and print it out but technology is beginning to phase it out. We no longer need to go about with papers. You can just cash out on your phone by withdrawing to any of your bank accounts.”
Alaba also explained that Baba Ijebu is closely related to sports betting but it contains from one to 90 numbers from which a player can make forecasts such as two-sure, three-direct or two to come out of five.
“If you win, you cash out, and there are some commissions that the agents will get from you because you played on their terminal,” he said.
According to Alaba, the first time he won a huge amount was in 2013 when he won N84,654 on MerryBet and used it to pay school fees of his children. He said that he later won N835,470, adding that even his final year fees in the university was paid with money he won from betting.
A former betting enthusiast who gave his name as Ekene said that he used to patronise Sportybet using the app on his phone. He said that he preferred playing the game on his phone because that way he would not have to part with the 10 percent that is usually deducted when somebody wins a huge amount.
“Another advantage of betting on my phone is that I will be paid my money immediately, unlike the agents in shops that may tell you they don’t have cash at the moment, whereas they have it,” he added.
Ekene explained further that betting is done through odd, saying, “it is the odd that we multiply after booking the game, so we can stake with money.”
Also talking about his most memorable experiences with betting, Ekene said that the highest amount he ever won was N82,000 when he staked with N200, while he lost up to N150,000 to betting though his biggest loss in a day was N20,000.
His words: “I am always happy when I win and it might be the time I need money. You might have the money and be hungry and still bet and lose because you don’t have a choice. Man needs to survive. I have to take risks. It’s either I take risk or I go home. One must happen.”