Betting Craze

On Sunday 30th April, the whole country woke up to the news of a new dollar millionaire in the country. One Samuel Abisai won a whopping KSH 221 million!! Mega jackpot with a famous sports betting company in Kenya. The now new “celebrity- millionaire” attracted numerous media attention, bloggers and online pundits found him the subject of discussion across the main stream media, social media and any platform they cared to air their opinion about him. since after him, there has been numerous jackpot winners with different betting firms in the country. Interestingly, some have gone ahead to spend all the millions and gone back to their early stage before they swam into the millions.

The controversy surrounding this new have it guy from Kakamega , his life and that of his nearest family and friends is breath taking. One of it being a beautiful lady who had snubbed him when he made advances. Ladies with money! , is a known syndrome in this generation. She now wishes to be part of those to downsize the 221million.

All that aside, betting and gambling for ages has been associated with laziness and evil in the society. People who gamble and bet are seen as losers and lazy who want to take shortcuts to the kingdom of richness. Time and again the so called motivational speakers will make numerous of their speeches advising the youth (they make the largest portion; 99% of those participating in gambling and betting) to work hard so as to unlock the kingdom of money and make a legit earning of their living. Articles and news have been written discouraging and condemning the act of sports betting. The government has also joined the wagon by raising the tax levied of betting companies. All this brings us to the question, is betting for losers or winners? Is it harmful? Or is it a society vice?

According to an article posted on Standard Digital on 22nd March 2016 by a Standard reporter, there are about 23 companies that have been licensed as operators of the new an obviously profit promising gambling business. This with the exception many more applications that are on various stages of consideration awaiting approval by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB). This shows how people are appreciating the gambling business. According to Daily Nation writer Walter Menya on his article Millions Gripped by Sports Betting Craze as Firms Reap Big dated July 31 2016, there are about five million Kenyans who have taken up betting in the last five years.

Change is known to be inevitable, when change comes, one has to adapt and move on. Every change comes with advantages and its demerits. Technology is one of the celebrated global change, but as much as its importance is well appreciated by everyone, its hazards and challenges has never been escaped. Sports betting is not a new thing in town, right in error of our great great grandparents this habit was there. Eadweard Muybridge is known to be one of the earliest people to have placed a bet of $25000 on the idea that horses “flew” while galloping. This led to perfection of photography and film making industry.

I am not a serious sports bettor but I can say I have firsthand knowledge of how it goes because my friends are betting pros, and an addicted ones. I have seen them fuss out on loses and have seen them so excited over wins. The big question that creeps into my mind is, can someone make a living out of sports betting? It may be a YES or a NO to you basing on your betting strategies and the perceptions behind the whole issue. To answer this, my article has looked at both sides of the sword and in the end, am hopeful that no one will find a crime in betting and that no one will not criminalize gambling  and sports betting.

To start me off, sports betting is like any other business that anyone can open following the right channels and above all, if he/she has the capital to invest in. and like any other business, the owners of sport betting firms are out there to make profits and benefit from their venture. This to an extend is entrepreneurship. With the concept of entrepreneurship in mind, we understand that jobs are being created giving people a source of livelihood. All this translates to contribution of economic growth and development.

Betting companies have become have become part and parcel of modern society. This has given them tan opportunity to exercise their corporate responsibility. For instance, sportpesa which boasts as the largest sports betting company based in Kenya is the current sponsor of Kenya premier league (KPL). The same company prides itself with other doings in the society. It has a rugby team, a premier league team and sponsors other teams in the KPL. This is has raised the youth status and seen them use their talents. The platform given to them through betting firms has raised them to limelight hence making good out of their talents.

After all, state-sponsored gambling is already an entrenched part of our society in the form of the lottery. It’s the ultimate hypocrisy to suggest that there’s something evil about putting KSH 50 on a team and predicting the right outcome resulting to a win over KSH 500, it is not a bad deal, is it? After all it’s all about money and when it comes, no one is complaining, it becomes an issue when a loss is suffered.

People like “big Sam” as they now call Samuel Abisai the jackpot winner are now celebrated because he won millions. Nobody knew him when he was playing and loosing, as a matter of fact, he was condemned and blamed for wasting money on something that they said he will never win. To me I call this determination, he knew where he was putting his money and he dreamt of one day being the winner here he is now a millionaire. 

 Since the inception of betting firms in Kenya, there has been more than one hundred jackpot winners excluding numerous bonus winners of mega jackpot and normal jackpots across all betting companies.

Betting craze has become a matter of concern to an extend that the earlier believe that only rich people with a lot of money throw away are the one who can bet only has become a thing of the past. As low as KSH 10 can place a bet with betting sites such as Betyetu and Elitebet and be able to walk away with hundreds of thousands. This craze has brought about the need for regulation and responsible gambling.

Betting firms such as Sportpesa, has taken several measure to cap irresponsible gambling by limiting the maximum amount one can wage to KSH 20000. This ensures that no one gambles with more than he can afford to lose. Mr Moshi, the chief of the gamers’ association, cautions users against turning into gambling addicts. “It is a matter of choice. But everyone should remember that it is not the only thing you need to do in life,” he says. What many don’t know is that constant betting may lead to a gambling addiction. Gambling addiction is also known as impulse control disorder. Compulsive gamblers just like drug addicts are not able to control the impulse to gamble even when they know that their gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones Many people are skeptical about this betting issue. Dr Ndambuki has this to say on such people, “It is like trying hard drugs,” she says. “The feeling you get the first time you win will make you want to do it over and over again and you would do anything to get that feeling again.”

Betting winners have now become experts who are consulted on matters pertaining gambling. Many give testimonies of their betting journey as they vow not gamble again after their big wins. From their statements, it’s evident that they did not bet ones and becomes jackpot winners, they had to go through a series of loses before unlocking the entrance of big money.

It remains in the eyes of the beholder to conclude that betting is a curse or a blessing. Stories of the winners will motivate those who are not into betting to start gambling at the same time, painful stories of those who lost a lot in the industry will scare away those who are yet to joi the pack. 

Stories of people committing suicide after losing all their salaries in gambling casinos and betting firms have become normal reporting in our domestic print media. Students using their school fees to gamble and thereafter killing themselves, husbands neglecting their sole responsibility of providing for their families so as to use the money to gamble among others , are what is painting gambling and betting bad.

This craze has been promoted by a number of factors among the youth. Such factors include:

Jobless graduates.

Big dreams among youth.

Less effort required and laziness.

Fast internet facilitating online gaming.

Life shot-cuts. 

Peer group influence.

Geed for money and success.

Not everyone in the betting industry is smiling to the bank, numerous bad reports have been reported about betting such include depression and domestic violence among the youth  ”The youth in this country is supposed to be the most productive. They have talent, energy and are at a time when they should be teeming with productivity. But what we have is a worrying number of young people who think they can get money without working for it. It is fanning a culture of laziness,” said Dr.Crispus Anakwa, a psychologist who has treated numerous cases of depression, many associated with frustrations after losing bets.

Betting across the globe.

Betting is not only common in Kenya but it commands a massive participation across different countries. Countries such United States of America, England and china which boast as the one with the largest gambling city called Macau that took from Las Vegas. 

According a New York Times article on the “Largest Gambling Cities in the World,” published in 2014, there is evidence of gambling having taken place in China around 2300 BC after the invention of paper whose ripple effect was the creation of paper money and playing cards.

The beauty about betting and gambling in developed countries is that, it is seen as an entertainment activity and not a daily job as seen in developing countries. The above nations have defined rules that protect the gambler. For instance, in China, Chinese residents are restricted from carrying with them more than the equivalent of $3,000 while visiting Macau and other gambling joints. Also, advertisements of all forms of gambling or betting are prohibited. 

Betting remains dangerous if not well controlled at the sam

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e time, it remains a source of livelihood to those who are in it and are winning so, is betting a curse or a blessing