BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Clutching a basket, one that obviously shows that she was returning from a local market, an old woman, whose age should not be lower than 55, approached a lotto kiosk at Sasa area of Osogbo, capital of Osun State, spent about five minutes, then, clandestinely walked away with a white slip of paper.
Curious to know the business that the woman transacted with a young lady sitting inside the kiosk, The Point correspondent got close to the agent who revealed that “mama was here to play bet. It is not new because even people that are older than her play bet,” the Golden Chance Lotto betting agent, who did not want to disclose her name, said.
Efforts to make the woman speak with our correspondent did not yield result as the woman failed to give an audience after leaving the betting spot.
However, at another kiosk where betting is being played, some elderly men were seen busy staking their money.
Baba Dada, as he introduced himself to our correspondent, explained that he took to Lotto betting because he was no longer receiving steady monthly allowance from his children.
At Isale-Osun in Osogbo where the about 70-year-old man lives, he would join others, including youths, to gamble in order to survive.
Speaking in Yoruba language, he said, “I was not playing betting games before. I ventured into it when the monthly allowance my two children used to give me started dwindling. Whenever I complained, they would tell me that times are hard and that I should manage it. I used to drive commercial bus from Osogbo to Ibadan before I retired due to ill health. Ever since then, I have been fully dependent on my two married children for survival.
“At first, about three years ago, they were both contributing and sending N30,000 to me every month. They also complement this with some food stuffs. But, things changed since the beginning of this year. I hardly get N10,000 every month from the two of them and after buying garri and rice, nothing is left for me. My friend introduced me to playing bet and since I started in March, this year, it has been helping me because I always get some money to eat and sometimes I lose too.”
Elderly ones are not alone in this risky voyage of betting. Checks by The Point revealed that youngsters, secondary school teachers, artisans, undergraduates and even some working class Nigerians are into betting.
Some commercial motorcyclists don’t joke with betting as they throng betting spots from time to time to check what fate would fetch them.
Nigeria has a deep-rooted history when it comes to games of chance and the quest for quick wealth. From agelong lot games, to dice rolling, ram fighting to sports betting, forex trading, and cryptocurrency, there is always one option or another for those seeking quick fortune.
According to a report by Grand View Research, the global Sports betting market alone accounted for a staggering $83.65 in 2022 and it is expected to continue turnover of the global forex market which was $6.6trillion in 2022, according to a forex Academy report. The global cryptocurrency market today is 1.109 trillion, a 12.5 per cent change from one year ago, according to CoinGate.com.
While some go into sports betting, others choose to be patient by investing their money in cryptocurrency and forex trading.
With the worsening economic condition of the country, more people are developing interest in betting. A recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the number of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty stands at over 133 million.
With the introduction of technology, the number of bettors and betting platforms in Nigeria has continued to rise. From the early days of 9ja Predict and Merrybet to Bet9ja and the new generation platforms like Sportybet and other overseas bookies, Nigeria’s options for online sports betting have progressively expanded.
As a result, most betting sites and businesses in Nigeria now provide consumers with a wide range of services and features, ranking them among the nation’s top locations for sport bettors.
Even when betting has wreaked financial hazard on some players, it has never discouraged many as they see it as a partial escape route from hunger in the present harsh economy.
Betting experts said though the game had always been a big thing globally, it wasn’t something Nigerians could publicly claim for religious reasons.
“However, betting has become more popular among the youth. Online betting platforms in Nigeria are usually licensed and regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC). Some could also hold licences with gaming boards across other states within the country. This makes betting legal in Nigeria, and bettors, 18 years and above, can register on any licensed and regulated betting website in the country.
“Some of the top betting sites in Nigeria, where people, especially youths, easily play include Bet9ja, 1xBet, BetKing, Betway, BetWinner, bet365, N1bet, Yangasport, Parimatch and 22bet,” an expert, Jide Alao said.
“We cannot remove the hardship factor there even though betting has been here with us before the economy started nosediving.
The only difference is that we now have more older generation staking their money on betting. Don’t be surprised that these elderly people also go online to play bet. Our fathers and mothers are into this because of hardship while the youths want what we call a ‘side hustle.’
“If you check around, most ladies now play bet. You won’t know because they they don’t visit open places; they play online. Most of our politicians and successful business men and women also play bets. It is that bad,” Alao said.
