Sports betting may not be as simple as it sounds. Lovers of sport betting will tell you about the empty wallets, the depression, alcohol and drug problems; loans they inevitably have to take from friends, family or banks to survive. But beyond these, bettors do crazy and unthinkable things just to win money or experience the thrill. Omolara Akintoye writes
THE shop’s setting was quiet but for the sound of electronic machines; it was congested with the men-folk, who were engrossed in their own world of electronic gaming. There was little space for movement in that section, as everywhere was taken over by young men who loved the thrills of controlling joysticks in an attempt to win cash prizes.
Others clustered round the players, murmuring a piece of advice or the other on how to play the game from time to time. The look on their faces were similar, the suspense associated with either winning or losing; it was like nothing else existed, as they were caught up in the agitation of not making the wrong moves, since it meant them losing not just the game but the money staked.
Some of the players who lost left the shop in annoyance; a guy who was said to have played over N300 worth of games, hoping to win N15,000 but lost, left the shop dejected. He probably could have gone a few more round of games, but he ran out of money.
“It’s not just my day,” the man, who gave his name as Deji, said. He admitted that he had won various sums at previous stakes.
A report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that about 60million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 years spend N1.8billion on sports betting daily. The report further revealed that each person commits an average of NGN 3000 on sports betting daily.
Sports betting in Nigeria has thus grown in recent years, becoming not just a profitable business for betting company, agents and their customers, but also a trend. Sports betting companies are springing up, with centres in almost every location; online, they make the list of most visited websites in the country. Remarkably, betting on European football games have become a source of livelihood for a good number of Nigerians.
Sports betting, a refined form of gambling, can be traced to the days of pool betting, when people visited the conspicuous pool betting shops/offices situated on major and corner streets to predict the outcome of 49 top-level English football matches week in week out.
Tunde Akinlabi, another lover of football who always pay a visit to UBC 365, Mushin, says he has been involved in sports betting for six years running and has won huge amounts of money on several occasions. I’ll not disclose the amount, but I’ve won several times.
Speaking on whether he has staked anything for the game, Akinlabi said, “Yes, I have used my valuables such as my car, my expensive wears. When I used my car as a stake, I lost but I was given a second chance to play and I got my car back.”
Another weird gambling story is that of a man, who reportedly agreed to allow his friend take off his wife for a week if the Red Devils managed to win that week. The report had it that the two men made sure everything was legal and binding.
Unfortunately for the man, Manchester City eventually lost 2:3. Therefore, the unlucky man had to swallow his pride after the final whistle , having lost the bet, and bid his wife goodbye for a week. Maybe more?
In the same vein, a man, Charles, also ‘lost’ his wife after wagering her in a football bet.
Charles, had pledged his 22-year-old wife Caroline to another man over the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus. He made a verbal agreement with 30-year-old Eugene that if Juventus lost the encounter, he would give him his wife. His bet opponent, Gumbo on his part, wagered N50,000 in favour of a Madrid victory. Hell however broke loose when Real Madrid defeated Juventus 4-1 and Eugene requested for his prize (Charles’s wife).
The wife, who had no inkling she had been staked as a wager in a bet, was stunned when Eugene told her that she had to go with him because he had won her as a prize in a football bet.
Revealing how they get winning codes or numbers, Mr Ejiofor said “Once I remember a particular event that happened in a particular year, I could put such date together and that might be the lucky number for the result of a particular match.”
Pool betting is based on predicting the outcome of 49 top-level English associated football matches taking place in the week. Coupons are provided whereby betters tick the itemised clubs in the fixtures. Studying results of past matches, and using the strengths and weaknesses of the clubs, betters forecast clubs which might play draw, and tick their itemised numbers. Winnings are based on if those clubs eventually play draw.
Sport betting according to Mr Olamide Festus, owner of Betnaija situated along Ipaja, Alimosho area, Lagos, has two plans or packages: permutation or perming and napping.
“Perming is the commonly played plan, where a better selects possible numbers which might draw. He could perm (pick) 3 numbers against 4 (selected likely numbers of draws). The player could also perm 3 against 5 and so on, or perm 4 or more against 5 or more. And he wins when all the ‘permed’ numbers appear among the number of draws. The payoff is determined by the quantity of ‘permed’ numbers and that of the selected numbers. The higher the ‘permed’ numbers, the higher the payoff. The total number of draws for the week also determines the payoff. If the draws are low, it attracts more amounts of payoff and vice versa”, he said.
In napping, Olamide said the player selects the likely numbers that might draw. “He only wins when all the napped (selected) numbers draw. It is common to nap three numbers. Napping is much difficult to win, but offers higher payoff. Depending on the total number of draws for the week, perming 3 against 5 with N100 could fetch a player between N1,000 and N5,000; while napping three numbers with N100 wins between N5,000 and N15,000. Both perming and napping could also be played as bonanza or jackpot, where a player predicts that there will be a total of exactly ten draws for the week. If his played draws are correct, but the total number of draws for the week is less or more than ten, he loses everything”, he said.
A measure of the harsh economy
So, what could be responsible for this new craze for sport betting?
“It is a measure of the harsh economic condition”, suggested Mr. Chikodi Okoye, a businessman who resides in Lagos. “Nigerians don’t mind risking a fraction of their earnings on betting, with the hope that their life could be turned around with a huge win.”
Another observer, Olaniyan Akanji, an educationist insists that “It’s greed and laziness. Betting is not a profession. If your earnings are not enough to meet your needs, you can get another job, or in the absence of that, look for other means to augment your earnings. Not betting.”
Trail of broken families, misery
The betting craze that has engulfed the country has turned into a source of pain for some families, with individuals committing suicide and losing property and students squandering school fees.
In some instances, betting has led to families breaking up. A 42-year-old suffered double tragedy when his wife left him after she learnt that her husband had lost their N300, 000 loan to sport betting
The betting companies encourages responsible betting and do not take responsibility for the decisions of the gamblers.
They has also spelt out strict terms and conditions of betting, including being responsible in placing bets.
Many people, however, do not follow the advice, and that is why a student of Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, reportedly lost N40, 000 intended for his tuition fees to betting.