Her mind was made up; nothing on earth would cause her to bulge from her stance, in fact, as far as Nneka Obiora was concerned, she has done her super best, even if anyone says otherwise. Ifeanyi, her nephew, must leave her home and with immediate effect, after all, having failed a class three consecutive times, he has finally failed out of school. So, there is no need to keep him in Lagos.
“Can you imagine, that this boy has been out of this house for the past one week and just returned today,” Nneka said while narrating her ordeal. According to her, what broke the camel’s back was that a neighbour whom he does menial jobs for was looking for him because Ifeanyi had stolen N5, 000 that he kept to buy some things for his store.
At 16, Ifeanyi has mastered the act of straying from home, sneaking off with change from purchases and cutting money when sent on errands. For Nneka, Ifeanyi’s case is lost, but what galled her was the fact that her first son Kelvin at age 15 has started toeing the same path, sneaking off to gamble and pinching money from the house.
Reports have it that over 100 gaming operators are licensed by the National Lottery Regulation Commission (NLRC) and the Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB) to operate, but like every other business, some operate illegally, which is why they are more concerned about raking in money than enforcing the rules against minors.
All over the mainland, in Lagos State, gambling and sports betting places abound, with enviable crowds on match days. The betting comes in different shades; sports betting, pool and lotto gambling. However, the most popular is sports betting because it has to do with majority of the youths- graduates and undergraduates, and it comes in virtual and real life sports betting.
According to Section 57 of the National Lottery Act (2005), Lottery or lotteries include any game, scheme, agreement, system, plan, promotional competition or device for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, or as a result of the exercise of skill and chance or based on the outcome or sporting events, or any other game, scheme, agreement, system, plan, competition or device, which the President may by notice in the Gazette declare to be lottery and which shall be operated by licence.
Expressing his views, sports analyst, Anthony Nlebem says, “These days the trend of sport betting has gone higher because of the situation in the country; people scramble for money and they just go and predict scores, believing that at least they will get 50, 100 percent or more of their initial bets if they get the prediction right. And even the traditional betting platform (Baba Ijebu or lotto) before sport betting became common, was patronised by cab drivers and other such handymen was easier- you just predict three or four numbers, and because of the economic trend, people tie their prosperity to it believing that if they play N1000, they can get 200 or 300 on it”.
He is also alarmed at the development, “You need to visit a sport betting house to see the number of youths there, especially on a match day- if you see the volume of gambling, it is so alarming and it is growing by the day. I do not see it declining soon, unless the economic situation of the country improves”.
Asked about minors who engage in this sport betting/gambling, he penned it down to desperation to acquire simple things like new pair of jeans, trendy phones, among others, without asking their parents. “For me, I expect the government to come in and regularise it.”
“During my school days, there were lots of gaming-houses which students visited; the result was evident in their performance at school. What the parents did was to take it up, and government shut down those game houses because the children were too young to engage in such.
“I believe regulation should be enforced because many of the gaming-houses are not registered. Government should do something before these young ones develop chronic gaming appetites.”
It is not a hidden fact that betting and gambling is an appetite people acquire; it is additive and has individuals whose lives are ruined by feeding this appetite. The growing number of youths in the betting game makes one to ask if the youths who bet today will be able to leave it if or when they become gainfully employed.
Nlebem feels they can leave it behind because 80-90percent of those gambling is motivated by unemployment. “If you want to know the rate of unemployment in Nigeria, just visit these gaming houses, you will know truly that the country is in serious trouble. You will see those that have left school for years with no jobs. It is addictive, yes, but if you have a job which takes you out in the morning and you get back in the evening, it will help remove that addiction because at the end of the month, you have something to go home with.
“Farming takes time and again how is government encouraging it? But they believe as they gamble, within a week or two, something will drop. Gambling is different; you can place 10 different bets, and at least one will drop. It’s not just about addiction; it is about poverty in the land.”
According to a certified psychologist, many of these gamblers are mentally lazy persons who look for easy ways of getting cash.
Meanwhile, results from NOIPolls reveal rising trend of gambling in Nigeria. Betting is an activity of predicting an event result, and placing a wager on its outcome with the hope of winning a set prize. There are numerous betting companies that provide such services all licenced and heavily regulated by the Nigerian Lottery Commission companies that provide sports betting services are usually referred to as bookmaker, books, sports book or betting agency.
According to the poll result, a significant proportion of Nigerians polled 77percent, attesting to the high prevalence of betting and gambling in their locality. Residents of the South-West and South-South geo-political zone attested to the high prevalence in their locality. Also respondents aged between 19-35 years accounted the highest percentage.
The results also revealed Bet9ja with 64percent as the highest known betting platform; other betting platforms cited were Nairabet, 34percent; Pool companies, 22percent; Lotto, 20percent; Naijabet, 5percent; Merrybet 4percent; Bet365, 3percent, among others.
In addition, the survey sought to determine the frequency of Nigerians who actually engage in betting. Analysis revealed more than half, 53percent of respondents disclosed they bet games on daily basis, while 39percent engage in it few times a month. A further probe established that majority 60percent of respondents disclosed that they only win “a few times a month.” This is followed by 29percent who win “a few times in a week,” while 8percent claimed that they have never won any bet.
According to the poll results, an insignificant 3percent of respondents indicated that they win on a daily basis. Factors influencing the choice of betting platforms include- the betting population; timely payment 26percent, odds/stake placed on a game 24percent, reputation for payment 21percent, ease of use 15percent, company that pays more 5percent, proximity 4percent, among others.
Analysis further revealed top reasons Nigerians engage in betting includes; quest for quick money 30percent, unemployment 21percent and greed 15percent. Other reasons include- cushioning the effect of economic hardship 12percent; poverty 10percent; just for fun 5percent; passion for sports 5percent; and peer group 2percent.
DIMMA MABEL
