Sports bet

There is a pestilence raging out there in our present world. Every single day new one arises but we all watch with our hands folded doing nothing. We watch our youths waste away hoping to hit the jackpot every day. We have been asked not to call it Gambling. Sports bet they say it is. But does calling a lion a dog change its nature?

Betting is now something legal all over the country. Sports betting in particular has taken over the streets in the country. Football being the most popular sport in the country have the highest share of the attention. The English premier league, La Liga Santander, Ligue 1 and other European leagues are played weekly bar international breaks and end of the season breaks. It’s now common to see ex-internationals sign contracts with these bet companies and advertise for them.

According to an article published on TheGuardian. An average Nigerian spends close to $15 per day on online betting. This is ¼ of the minimum monthly wage of workers in the country. We can’t deny that these industries bring in a lot of revenue for the government hence the reason why they’ve turn blind eye to it. However, the teens and youths are the one’s facing the consequences of this activity.

I tried talking to some friends that are into it and these were the points they gave to back up their actions

• It’s a quick way of making money: To many youths, sports bet is a saving grace to them. It’s a quick run-to whenever they need money. And what is bad in making money from what you love?

• It provides jobs: On almost every street there is a betting shop with 2 to 3 workers. They believe the bet shops are the “Youth empowerment” schemes the Government promised during the election campaigns.

• Requires little capital: One can bet with as low as N100, which in dollar should be 20 cents. With just N100 Naira you can turn a millionaire overnight and if you are a big risk-taker, invest your school fee or sell any of your properties- according to him (my friend) you are on your way to being the next Bezos.

More reasons were given to justify their actions but the ones above are those I could remember from the conversations. Trust me when I say I’ve seen friends get ruined from betting. Someone who had his future all planned ad we all thought he’d be the next big thing from the block turned into someone no one want to be acquainted with.

• Nothing good comes easy: There is nothing like quick money. Money that comes quickly goes quickly. Elon Musk didn’t turn billionaire overnight, neither did Jeff Gamble with $100 to become who he is today. We need to learn how to patiently work our ways to the top. Everything starts from the bottom before going to the top. It’s only the grave that is dug from the top to the bottom. lol

• Providing job for 2-3 at the expense of 100

  So many lives are destroyed from gambling. A video went viral after the UCL final match between Chelsea and Man City last year. A man was wailing and shouting “Guardiola why?” because he placed a bet with his house document, but City lost the final. So many people commit suicide after going into debt from gambling. Students wager their allowances and even fees just to make money quickly.

  The advantage of being patient and hardworking is now lost to us. When we see someone striving to succeed we call him a fool. We youths are so impatient that even the weekly league games seem far off. This makes virtual gaming rampant. I wonder how people stake their money over something they have little influence over. They watch intently as horses, dogs and cars race down the track. Before you know it, their money is gone and they resort to selling or staking their properties.

• To counter the third point I gave a simple scenario to him

  On a football weekend, an average Nigerian youth spend an average of $4 on betting. Let say with midweek matches (UCL and few league games) he spends $2. That makes it $6 per week. He repeats this from January to march ($6 x4 =$24: for 3 months will be 3x$24=$72). finally, luck shines on him in the 4th month. His prediction of arsenal winning a match finally clicks. He got $15 from the $4 he staked. He celebrates and spread the news of how sporty bet has saved him. Forgetting that prior to his win he has spent $72. as if that isn’t enough, half of the $15 won was spent on booking another game.

You are getting back out of what you gave out and the circle continues.

DANGER ASSOCIATED WITH GAMBLING

It can lead to argent poverty: You gamble because you want a quick way to wealth but you end up being a pauper. Gambling is an addiction hard to stop. After spending all you have, you wager with your properties and might even resort to stealing to fund your gambling lifestyle.

At the risk of losing friends and family: Friends and family will run away from you if you’re the type that gambles. They fear losing their money to you or their reputation. You lose people’s trust because you are reliable to steal from them.

Prone to committing suicide: People who gamble are prone to depression and thoughts of committing suicide is always lurking around.

You hate yourself: You hate yourself for doing what you know is bad and hurting you. But you can’t just stop it.

WAY OUT

- Disassociate yourself from friends that gamble

- Seek help

- Get something doing: Remember an idle hand is the devils workshop.

- when the urge to go back to the table comes think of those that are affected by your actions.

- Pray

Conclusion

I hope the Government find a way to Curb this menace. Though it's a fast growing industry that contributes to the Economic growth of the country, the impact it has on the teens and youths is devastating. Our parents and religion institutions should also talk to our kids. The danger associated with Gambling is far more than the gain in it.

Thanks for Reading!💰💚💰