Austin Okocha, Nigeria’s football legend, popularly known as “Jay Jay”, was the first and most prominent ambassador signed by BetKing when it launched in the Nigerian market in 2018. According to the legendary footballer, the BetKing philosophy resonated with him at launch because they believe “everyone, regardless of their position, has the chance to become king of their destiny.”
But millions of Nigerians who watched their football idol and took his words literally have squandered their meager earnings and become poorer.
Kingsley Uzoma, a gambling addict who lost a lot of money and even sold properties to bet, said he regretted learning about gambling. The biggest loss for him is the trust of his family, friends and colleagues, who now see that he always makes the wrong financial decisions because of his addiction to betting.
“If I had played 10 times, I would have lost 7 times. I keep betting because I need the money to solve problems. Giving up is the best option, but what is the way out when it has become a habit and gives me hope? Recovery wouldn't be easy either. In general, I would say that I regret knowing gambling. The country is tough and most of these things are to be expected in a bad economy. So it is no surprise and the opportunities in the country are becoming fewer and fewer,” Uzoma said.
Also Read: Amid Economic Hardship, Nigerians Spend Millions on Betting
Nnamdi Nelson, who has been addicted to gambling for over two decades, said he couldn't stop because he didn't know how to kick the habit.
“It has been more than 22 years since I started gambling. Now I have no plans to stop. I have reduced my operational power because the money is no longer there. A lot of people don't know that I bet because I do it online. I try to control the odds by playing live games. No matter how little it is, you bet. You can win, but most of the time we also lose. There is no 100 percent proof that you have to win every time you play,” Nelson said.
A 2020 report revealed that about 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 are involved in active sports betting and football betting is the most popular segment of sports betting. The report also noted that Nigerians spend almost N2 billion on sports betting daily, which amounts to about N730 billion per year. Furthermore, the sports betting market in Nigeria is estimated to be worth $2 billion.
In September 2023, GeoPoll surveys conducted in May 2017 and December 2021 were released and showed that while Kenya is at the top of the African continent as the country with the highest rate of gambling, with a remarkable 83.90 percent of citizens actively involved, Nigeria is with it Close behind, 78 percent of Nigerians participate in gambling. Nigeria also had the highest average monthly spending on betting in Africa.
Although the increasing penetration of mobile devices is considered to be the main responsible for the astronomical growth of the betting industry in Nigeria, aggressive advertising is also considered a major factor in its proliferation.
It's almost impossible to find a top betting company in Nigeria these days that isn't endorsed by a celebrity or two.
In May 2023, BetKing signed comedian Shaggi and former Big Brother Naija housemate and Nollywood actor Tobi Bakre as ambassadors to promote the company's brands alongside Okocha.
In 2019, Bet9ja reportedly spent N1.08 billion on the main sponsorship of Big Brother Naija, one of the biggest television shows in the country. The company also includes Victor Ikpeba, Okocha's former national team mate. As an ambassador for Bet9ja, Harrison Chinedu holds the Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled with a football balanced on his head. Celebrities like Poco Lee and Yhemolee constantly promote Bet9ja on Instagram.
Sportybet has had Kanu Nwankwo as its ambassador since May 2016. The company also extended Michael Essien's contract as brand ambassador in August 2023. A month later, Sportybet released an ad featuring top Real Madrid players, including Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni global ambassador, Eder Milito.
Also Read: Nigerians rely on sports betting and loans as cost of living rises
“The ad is just like the old beer ads and cigarette ads that were on TV for years. “It’s the same situation,” said Van Bickier, a gambling addict. “People are tricked into thinking it's glamorous, they think they're going to win, and if they don't win, they end up losing everything.”
In addition to supporting betting platforms, some celebrities also actively encourage their followers to bet by posting betting odds on their social media platforms. Emeka Okonkwo, a flashy celebrity popularly known as E Money, posts weekly betting odds to his 13.6 million followers. In one of his recent posts on Instagram, he claimed he won N6.8 million through betting.
According to experts, advertising has an undeniable impact on gambling, from raising awareness of the different betting options available on the market to encouraging people to try them out. In a recent report, the Australian Gambling Research Center found a strong link between exposure to betting advertising and riskier gambling behavior. According to the report, exposure to betting advertising has the greatest impact on young people and those at risk of gambling harm: one in five young women and one in seven young men start betting for the first time after seeing or hearing an advertisement on television . Of those at risk of gambling injury, 41 percent reported trying a new form of betting and 40 percent bet spontaneously because they had seen or heard betting advertisements. The report focused on Australian respondents.
“We know the harm gambling causes on an individual family and societal level, including the impact on finances, relationships and health and wellbeing. This research shows that exposure to betting advertising leads to riskier betting behavior and increases the likelihood of gambling harm.
A similar study by IIM Ronak, this time focused on celebrity endorsements, found that gambling intent multiplies when a celebrity endorses a gambling platform.
Also Read: Nigerian Betting Market Is Worth $2 Billion, 60 Million People Bet Daily
“Celebrity endorsement, that is, the use of attractive, trustworthy and well-known celebrities to promote online gambling applications, has been found to have a statistically significant impact on young people's propensity to gamble.” It can be concluded that with everyone “Increasing the attractiveness, trustworthiness or popularity of the endorser by ten units increases the target customer’s willingness to play almost sixfold,” the study says.
Emmanuel Chigozie, another gambler, said that among other things, a gambler creates false hopes that ensure addicts continue to gamble away their money without stopping.
“For example, you might have lost so much that you want to give up, but on the other hand, your friend or someone somewhere might win some money and you'll say, 'If they can do it, so can you.'” Then you play continue,” Chigozie said.
He also points out that many players were also driven into depression. This is especially the case when a player experiences a near win
“For example, you can make a selection of 20 to 30 games and your predictions could all be right except for one or two that went wrong. “That can lead to depression in some people because they were close to winning but didn’t get there,” he said.
Some experts have suggested a betting ban in Nigeria to rid millions of people in Nigeria of this habit. Kalu Aja, a personal finance expert, described it as “an addictive cancer.”
However, some others say that it is impossible to ban or stop people from gambling. Furthermore, there is no law in Nigeria that criminalizes the act itself, which is why those who bet are under the influence of the law. However, the government can try to mitigate the reasons for gambling, such as poverty.
“Gambling regulations in Nigeria need to be stricter. Morally speaking, I'm not in favor of gambling; However, it is a system promoted by governments around the world and I think Nigeria needs better regulations,” said Akintonmide, a Nigerian on X. “Banning gambling is simply not a move. When this happens, an illegal market is created that does not protect players. If the government sees this as a challenge based on its research, setting the framework is the way to go. This is linked to taxes. This is called a sin tax, a tax levied on harmful products such as tobacco, cigarettes and gambling.”
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