Sports activities betting is a well-liked exercise in Nigeria, with many individuals trying to make extra cash by inserting bets on their favorite groups. Many sports activities betting firms now supply on-line betting providers, permitting Nigerians to position bets on their favorite sporting occasions from the consolation of their very own houses.
Sports activities betting has an extended and fascinating historical past in Nigeria, relationship again to the pre-colonial period. Nonetheless, it wasn’t till the twenty first century that sports activities betting grew to become a preferred pastime within the nation.
About 60 million Nigerians between 18 and 40 years of age could also be spending as much as N1.8 billion on sports activities betting every day, a current investigation by the Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) revealed.
Nonetheless, with statistics exhibiting that Nigerians spend such quantities every day on inserting bets on sports activities actions, can sports activities betting be seen as a curse or a blessing for the nation?
The Guardian correspondent spoke to some stakeholders within the sports activities betting trade, journalists, and some sports activities bettors to hunt their opinions on the subject.
In keeping with the previous MD of Betland and now FIFA-licensed soccer agent, Babajimi Ogunlana, “sports activities betting in Nigeria brings each vital advantages and severe dangers.
“Economically, it contributes to progress by creating jobs and rising authorities income, which is important in a creating financial system. It has additionally offered employment alternatives for a lot of, particularly younger individuals, serving to to scale back unemployment.
“Moreover, betting firms have the assets to spend money on sports activities growth, which might remodel communities by supporting grassroots programmes and nurturing native expertise.”
Nonetheless, in accordance with Ogunlana, the social prices may be excessive as a consequence of “the danger of dependancy, significantly amongst younger individuals, which results in monetary hardship, household points, and psychological well being struggles.
“Dependency on betting income can also be dangerous for the financial system, creating an overreliance on an trade with ethical and social challenges,” Ogunlana stated, explaining that if betting overshadows the spirit of sports activities, it could result in public scepticism and disengagement.
In conclusion, he stated sports activities betting can profit Nigeria if balanced fastidiously as a result of with accountable gaming practices, sturdy rules, and funding in group growth, the trade can assist Nigeria’s progress whereas minimising its potential downsides.
A sports activities journalist, Olufemi Ashaolu, nevertheless, thinks that sports activities betting may be seen as each a curse and a blessing to the nation.
“Genuinely, I feel it’s each methods as a result of when you think about the financial impression, sports activities betting has skilled a lot growth that nations like Ghana now closely tax earnings,” Ashaolu stated.
“Nonetheless, the damaging outweighs different optimistic issues as a result of sports activities betting has pushed many into dependancy, and there have been situations the place individuals took their very own lives as a result of the outcomes of their wager placement turned out to be unfavourable, both because of the quantity utilized in betting or the anticipated reward.
“Many youths have put their sustenance on betting, triggering a tradition of laziness and uncertainty.
“Extra so, I feel betting has relatively killed real ardour in sports activities, as the final word curiosity isn’t in sports activities itself however what’s at stake (monetary achieve).
“Followership of some sports activities might have skilled sure booms, however should you take away betting, it’s all a mirage. In the long term, sports activities betting might change into a social drawback, significantly in Africa due to the extent of poverty and dependancy connected to it by the supposedly productive youths, to whom it’s greater than leisure or enjoyable.”
For Dare Erinle, who’s a sports activities bettor, he stated sports activities betting is a blessing to some individuals and a curse to others, including that it’s a blessing when it’s working for you and a curse when it’s not working for you.
In keeping with him, although, some persons are fortunate with it and a few should not, however he feels individuals have totally different opinions about sports activities betting in Nigeria.
“Some consider it’s a curse whereas others really feel it’s a blessing,” Erinle stated.
When pressed additional on the place he stands and the explanations for his opinion and whether or not sports activities betting ought to be stopped because it seems to have extra disadvantages than benefits, he stated alarmingly: “Stopped ke.
“Some persons are cashing out on it as a substitute of their earlier unhealthy jobs like stealing and scamming individuals. The disadvantages are not more than the lack of earnings to the betting firms.”
The Advertising Supervisor of sports activities betting firm Betwinner Nigeria Restricted, Lukman Rahmon, additionally gave his opinion on whether or not sports activities betting within the nation may be seen as a curse or blessing.
“The factor is that something you’re doing and also you overdo it, then it has change into a giant drawback, significantly as we’re not speculated to overdo some issues typically in life,” Rahmon stated.
“Sports activities betting is meant to be enjoyable and leisure; it’s not a poverty alleviation scheme; it’s not speculated to take you out of ‘sapa’ (poverty); that isn’t the thought behind the trade.
“You aren’t speculated to stake your youngster’s college charges or your college charges or your home hire with the concept that you might double the cash by profitable a sports activities wager.”
In keeping with Rahmon, sports activities betting is extra of enjoyable and leisure; it’s not a do-or-die affair, and that’s the reason “we at Betwinner have partnered with Gamble Alert to satisfy our prospects or shoppers to teach them on playing responsibly.”
Nonetheless, to sum all of it up, he stated sports activities betting is extra of a blessing to Nigerians and it will possibly solely be a curse if one overdoes it or stakes an quantity one can not afford to lose.
