This week on Life conversations, I spoke to Karo who bets frequently.
Nigeria has a lot of betting websites and many young Nigerians use them to bet on different games.
With the fanatical football culture in Nigeria, it is not surprising that a lot of people (mostly men) bet. This leads these betting companies and even their customers to cash out massively.
Here is how my conversation with Karo went;
What sites do you use?
“Sportybet, Betking, Bet9ja and 1xbet. Mostly BetKing.”
What has been your biggest loss?
What was your biggest win, and what did you do with it?
“N257,000. I used N25,000 to bet again and N30,000 to take my friends for drinks. Bought some groceries and saved the rest.”
How often do you bet?
“Every week except during international breaks and offseason.”
How much do you spend weekly?
“It varies. N 2,000 to N5,000. If I won previously, the stake goes up.”
When you bet N2,000 to N5,000 how much do you win?”
Usually around N20,000 to N25,000. The less you bet, the less you win.”
Does betting affect your finances?
“Sometimes, yeah. Like when you’re low on cash, and you feel hmmm this bet has to click, you go big instead of home, and it ends in premium tears.”
Have you borrowed to bet?
“Borrow to bet? No. Borrowed to cushion the effect? Yes. After betting, I was broke, and I had to borrow from my friends.”
Does betting disrupt your life or mood in any way?
“Life? No. Mood, ALOTTTTT. A win fills you with euphoria especially if it was a rough bet day or a random bet. It’s so good. But you never get used to a loss, your night go just spoil.”
Do you feel bad about betting?
“Yeah! But how else are we to generate more funds?”
Would you like to stop betting?
“Yes! I take breaks. But would most likely stop when I have better finances.”
Do you think betting improves your finances?
“I wouldn’t say “improve”. I use it as a means to an end; to fund groceries and other small bills.”
Out of 10 times, how many times do you win?
“Betting is weird! I’ve never gone 10/10. I’ll say three sometimes, I’ll go weeks without a win.
And other times you’re blitzing winning three out of every five tickets. The hack is to go in with big bucks and small odds. That way, you minimize risk. But if it crashes and you don’t have the financial power to continue, you’re a finished man.”
If you count your losses, it cancels out your wins, so why do you do it?
“The thrill!. Like I said, a higher income bracket and I’m done.”
Whether it is betting at home or at the betting centre, sports betting is incredibly popular in Nigeria, the question remains is it harmless fun or is it not. For Karo, it is harmless fun.
