By Greg Odogwu
A careful observation would easily reveal that the country’s social tapestry is gradually unravelling under the weight of sports betting. Its negative impacts on our society far outweigh the positives because they are insidious and existential. They dovetail in the prevailing ‘get rich quick’ consciousness of today’s youth, who believe that wealth no longer comes via knowledge, hard work and perseverance; but through sheer luck, polished by one’s personal steez and street-smartness.
Experts say sports betting is one of the most dynamic sectors contributing to the national economy. According to the National Sports Industry Policy in 2020, the growth is projected to potentially generate between 1.5 and 3 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. As of 2020, it was estimated that the sports betting subsector of the gaming ecosystem was worth $2bn, a figure driven by 60 million Nigerian youths between the ages of 18 and 40, with a daily transaction of $5.5m.
While a good number of those transactions occurred in walk-in shops (estimated at 64 per cent), online transactions at the time represented 34 per cent. They postulate that the sports betting sector brings in $4.7bn annually in revenue and creates about 10 million jobs; directly through customer service, marketing, and data analysis roles, as well as indirect jobs in the informal sectors providing services for them. Through the various tax levies on operators and licence fees generated from licensees, the sector makes money for the government, hence its economic importance.
However, they will not tell you the story of Samuel Adegoke, a 200-level student of Electrical Electronic Engineering at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, who committed suicide after losing his school fees and those of his friend to online sports betting. They will not tell you about Abbas, in Abuja, who was arrested (later imprisoned) by one of his numerous disappointed clients when he swindled them of their hard-earned money to ‘invest in sure’ bets. His young family of wife and three children was tossed into the street, and his workshop was stripped of all valuables by various people he owed due to his addiction to sports betting.
The experts will never tell you the tales of uncountable citizens who have gambled away their family savings and fortunes. Young people who prefer to sleep and wake up in the makeshift betting shops, holding onto the pipedream that the next bet win would be theirs. Men and women have been driven into depression, drug abuse and sundry social vice as a result of their addiction to sports betting. Artisans, professionals and students have wasted countless hours and vast opportunities simply because they chose to deposit them in the ubiquitous sports betting centres. Social cancer is real, and it is in every nook and cranny of our national space, with a metastasis of the scourge on online platforms.
I once visited a friend who was a graphics designer and digital publisher. As I sat beside his workstation, I noticed how he would switch from his work computer to another idle desktop after every other minute. Initially, I thought he was multitasking; but after about an hour I noticed how emotional he got after each click on the side computer. At a particular moment, he shouted and flicked his fingers in an expression of sudden loss. It was then that an unmistakable instinct alerted me to what he could be up to; so, after some moments, I asked the question.
“What is going on in that computer, bro?”
“Chai! I just missed a game,” he did not look at me as he answered. “Na bet,” he said in pidgin English as if he regretted telling me about his newfound side hustle. I did not even bother to ask any further questions.
This is a very smart and trained professional. Top in his game but is now consumed by the virus known as sports betting. Then, it dawned on me why he was having difficulties delivering on deadlines, lately. He was also having money issues. I had heard him quarrel with clients over payments because he was always demanding upfront deposits beyond acceptable limits. I instantly realised that this guy was addicted to sports betting. He was constantly dumping money on bets that never paid him, but he kept betting, believing that one day he would ‘hammer’ big time. This is the philosophy behind the craving.
He may never have entered any sports betting shack, but my dear friend was as lost as any other dreamer in the sports betting kiosks dotting our streets. As a matter of fact, there is a need for a proper scientific survey to fully contextualise the risk we face as a nation. Sports betting chips away at the bulwarks of our national productivity, engraving hopelessness and despair, while fuelling crime and social unrest.
One may ask, why is the Nigerian experience different from others, considering that gambling and betting is a universal practice?
The answer is three-pronged. First, our country has a subsisting culture of consumerism driven by a rent-seeking economic outlook. Our citizens are given to the acquisition of manufactured goods from foreign lands. We used to produce what we needed, but we do not do that anymore. We just sell our raw materials and then use the accruing wealth to shop all over the world for the latest luxuries. As a result of this, many of us are always on the lookout for the latest commercial frenzy. Enterprises with easy entry points and high yield return on investments are magnets in our clime.
Second, our regulatory ecosystem is as weak as it is unimaginative. I refrain from using the word corrupt. The country’s regulators tolerate various malpractices and manipulations. Thus, operators bend the rules by allowing underage, vulnerable players with little financial agency to place wagers at their physical store, with some targeting that age group without fear of facing the consequences. The government games and lottery agents only focus on tax revenue collection, forgetting that their core duty is to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of citizens.
For instance, in America, legal gambling is limited to certain places and types of players. In California – including eleven other states – sports betting and online betting are not currently legal, and certain games, including slot machines, are allowed only at Indian casinos.
The Nigerian state must understand that legality means easier access and easier access means more temptation. The country’s sports betting ecosystem is toxic because the government has not done its homework like other countries. With a low entry level, more people allocate disposable income for a chance to win big.
However, this accessibility raises concerns about its potential impact on spending patterns and other sectors of the economy, as well as the financial literacy of the population, which leads to gambling addictions. In plain terms, the betting companies capitalise on the illiteracy of our citizens to cash out. It is the job of the government to tighten every loose end and protect its citizens.
Third, the country’s teeming youth population sits idle. They do not want to become artisans, craftsmen and tradesmen. They want to sit in their houses and make money without literally lifting a finger from their smartphones. As it stands today, Nigeria may soon face a scarcity of qualified tilers, carpenters, builders, mechanics, and other artisans because the majority of those that serve us are foreigners—Togolese, Beninese, Ghanaians, Nigeriens, Guineans—and they are going home because of unfavourable forex.
These sports betting shops have provided the lazy youth with the fantasy that fuels their depravity, and they may not wake up from this delusion any time soon.
