Friday, August 8, 2014

60m Nigerians spend 1.8bn on sports betting daily


No fewer than 60 million Nigerians spend 1.8 billion naira ($11, 042944 US dollars) on sports betting DigitalSENSE Business News gathered.

A study carried by Nigerian News Agency (NNA), estimated that presently about 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 to 40 are spending 1.8 billion naira (£ 670,000) daily on sports betting.

This is as Lagos state government has said that it will do more to create enabling environment for the lottery industry.

According to the study an average Nigerian bettor wagers 300 Naira (£1.10) daily.
DigitalSENSE Business News checks reveal that sportsbetting has grown in popularity among Nigerian youths and young adults, with international football being the nation’s most popular sports betting market.

Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lottery Board Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila who disclosed this in Lagos recently, urged federal government to put more policy frameworks in place to open up the lottery industry for more operators to come in.

“The state government has been making efforts to provide an enabling environment for the lottery industry but only 40 per cent of the industry had been tapped into. We urge the Federal Government to create a more enabling environment for operators in the industry to increase revenue and create jobs for youths. The major needs of the operators are improved electricity and internet provision to boost the business,” he said.

DigitalSENSE Business News authoritatively reports that sports betting operators are accessed through internet cafes throughout Nigeria while payments are made using digital micro payment providers who allow Naira currency to be processed and mobile phones

In the NNA study, many younger individuals denied themselves food in order to wager on sports betting markets.

Chukwudi Obi /GEE
... Making SENSE of digital revolution!

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