Sports Lottery Spikes Criminal Offense In Kaduna

In Nigeria, lottery has been going on from time immemorial. Until recently however, it was the elderly and a few specialized interest groups and people who mainly engaged in it. Pool wagering had been popular among the middle aged.

corta.coUnlike other forms of lottery that have been in existence in the country, many people treat pool and its players with disdain because it was seen as a game that allegedly impoverished its players who hung on an everlasting hope of winning but without really winning. Others saw it as outright gambling, a custom that was simple to start but quite difficult to discontinue.

Now however, lottery is re branded and made more appealing, particularly targeting teenagers and the youth. Outstanding among the captivating features of now’s lottery isn't just that it's sports-oriented, which often fascinates the youths, but also because of its use of the net and other hi-tech input signals making it easier, accessible and quick. They can be played online or at designated offices. It was unlike before when lottery was analog and just played at designated offices/centers.

Some sports lottery that is prevalent played today are Naira wager, bet9ja yesterday result, Cash bet, 360 wager, bet that is Fast, Sure bet, Sahara stake, 1960 bet, Bet revolution, among others.

Daily Trust test shows that few persons have actually won and those winners have continued to serve as a reference point and enticing force to the thousands of youths that have become active players but are yet to win although in Kaduna.

Investigation also indicated from forging ahead in life that sports betting has badly redirected the attention of such youths. Some have relegated their school, work, companies and domestic work/family responsibilities to the background and have given substantial focus, time, resources and energy to sports betting.

Ayodele Joseph, teacher and a footballer in Kakuri place of Kaduna South local government, says sports betting is rapidly becoming a menace and that its habit is now worse than that of drugs.

"I educate in a secondary school and I’m also a footballer. Owing to career and my profession, tons of youths and I blend. What I have noticed is a sizeable number are turning to sports betting to deliver them from poverty. They would like to make simple and fast cash devoid of effort. They're no more paying attention to their own studies or careers. Sports betting is gradually taking over their lives. They pay little awareness of developing themselves, but instead deploy their energies to sports betting. These generally include students, trainees, applicants and workers," he said.

corta.coJoseph said it is still gambling however one looks the name it truly is called and it's a game of sheer luck chance.

Into betting "Majority of the lads in my place are and they do’t work. So that you can get the cash, they snatch phones and folks ’ bags, as well as break into individuals’ houses in broad day looking for what to snitch and sell."

He said their work has been left by most of the lads who hitherto were bus drivers, conductors, bricklayers, and others for the wager offices. "Sports lottery is impoverishing the society because it's increasing joblessness among the already jobless youths."

Meanwhile, a lad who has won about N1 million, Mathew Adikwu popularly called M.Pac, said he is just not doing anything other than sports betting at the present time. He said his important preoccupation currently is sports betting, adding that he is encouraging youths to participate in it because they could win like him, though he is seeking entrance to return to school.

"Last year November, I won 000 in bet9ja app free download, N707. Only N500 and I played to win all that money. Since then I've been winning other monies, all amounting to 000. The highest amount I 've ever played with is N1, 000.

"Sports betting is my company for now; I can say that's what I now do even though I'm still looking for entry. Most individuals do ’t win as some of us do; while other times it's skills, occasionally it's fortune. I advise everybody because it is possible to become a winner like me to be a part of it. For those youths who were said to have left school or their work for sports betting, I think they understand what they truly are benefiting from the gaming to have made such choice," he said.

The women will not be left out. A female hair stylist that she wins she'll equip her salon with modern hair dressing facilities and who preferred anonymity said she is into sports lottery too. She says so long as folks keep winning, and asserted to understand many individuals who have won, she'll keep gambling until she wins.

The proprietor Racy Hyginus, of Standard Global Academy Kakuri, wondered why the government should legalize such gambling, stressing that it is critically affecting negatively on education.

"Students no more pay attention with their studies because of sports betting. Should government legalize something like this in the first place? This should be trashed immediately before it destroys the education system and the youths. This is an extension of betting and instead of the students to think in their instruction, what they can be worried about is how to win bet9ja easily to get money for betting. If they are able to stake N1,000 to get N1 million, what then is essence of going to school? It should be nicely censored, even if the authorities would let something similar to this and there should be an age limit he said.

Lukeman claimed that as the betting is permitted to continue, pupils will never give their best to their education. He advised the youths to redirect their focus, saying instruction holds a better guarantee of an assured future in relation to the betting which they even steal to go and play and borrow money.

housewife said she believed that it was a honest and benign means of making money, but later discovered it was pure gambling. She said wherever youths are gathered in her place they talk about is gaming and getting money to play.

Mrs Samuel said apart in the speed of larceny which has grown, some of the youth are using means that is diabolical and religious to be able to win, noting that if nothing is desperately done about it, the nation may end up not having concentrated, knowledgeable and enterprising youths.

He said unfortunately, nevertheless, that he is waiting for the list of the illegal operators from his head office to be able to clamp down on them and sanitise the system and most of the lottery companies are still operating illegally.

bet9ja.comHe also noted that those operating the bet9ja cnm illegal sports lottery are foreigners, and that the cash they make is rather fostering their economy than that of Nigeria.