Why hasn't the govt. banned Gambling?

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Drove past a Betshop yesternite,and I was dismayed at the crowd just at the entrance of the Shop/store.
Doing a quick mental check, I can confidently say majority of the bystanders at that betting venue were between the ages of 14-35.Probably, the age where an human is expected to be most active.
I have heard people talk about how Nigerian Betting companies,are smiling to the Bank and no one has mentioned the negative effects and trends they create.
In foreign countries,the gambling industry is restricted in terms of age,spending limit,advertorials etc in others,betting is outrightly banned (am talking non-muslim states).
On countless occasions, I have come across Betnaija and so many other betting companies advertizing on Tv in the morning,afternoon and evening; whereas alcohol advertorials are not allowed on local TV channels,until past 10pm(Can’t confirm if this rule is still active).
I also know about the fact Nigerians are being defrauded by these betting companies,as regards betting lines,odds etc (I wont go much into this).
My question to Radarians is this :shouldn’t some sort of morals come into every business?
Even if the govt. Isn’t talking about restricting these betting companies,shouldn’t these betting companies talk about restricting themselves?

Does anyone think it will be right for govt. To outrightly ban betting or better still,regulate the betting industry in Nigerian?

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Are u talking about the betting that is settling many boys in this country or what? There is need for regulation but to talk of banning it? Oh! No. My sister boys must chop. What happens to the startup creating jobs? How many Nigerians of the age range u cited are gainfully employed? This thread should be about regulation and not banishment.

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Gainful employment for a 14 year old? Why would as a 14 year old think about gainful employment,when I probably should be thinking about my SSCE in a few years?
And who says “boys” are making money from betting? From experience,I will tell you 90% of betters do not make any sort of lifetime profit,regarding funds invested into gambling.
Its an issue of generating a buzz about the little pay-offs. How else do you think, betting companies rarely declare a loss and when they do,always is a result of mismanagement.

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valid points, it needs to be regulated, I’m sure there are laws regarding the industry because it’s been around for decades but has lately taken a new dimension cus of technology. Obviously the laws are not enforced, like you said it’s a terrible growing trend

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What is the percentage of the “boys” that are being “settled”, @ChukwuEmekaAjah?
Sports betting has ruined more “boys” than it “settles”.

As for this:

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My dear @mauri. Human beings are lazy. We would always seek the easiest path to anything. We want the most convenient shopping experience. We go to the closest church to our house. We eat out cus cooking will take a longer time.

It takes discipline to seek the right way instead of the easy way. Besides stealing gambling is one of the easiest ways to make money or so people think. They market their businesses like its the ‘surest’ (imagine SureBet) way to make money.

I think government should regulate the industry and limit certain things. Left to themselves, gambling companies will NEVER regulate themselves. U done see where they put sugar for person mouth and he spit am out?

As for the boys chopping. Guy @ChukwuEmekaAjah. Why don’t we regulate Yahoo yahoo? Boys should learn to work and eat from there. With the Internet business is easier to do and more fulfilling.

About the government… Hmm…So long as betting companies pay their dues or taxes to the government I don’t think they will be banned. Maybe until they defraud Ambode or someone important like that nobody will send.

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Okay! I don’t actually encourage it because on my own I detest such means of making money bearing in mind the precepts handed down to me as a young lad. I think I’m actually being realistic. I have many classmates at school that make money through such means. The betting firms have defrauded many if not all of them but putting forth the motion that they should be banned is out of place. All we need and desire is regulation.

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Don’t you guys think the government could be letting these firms be because they perceive they are keeping the ‘youths’ engaged? If we say the govt. should regulate the firms towards putting forth better betting odds it even more encourages the gamblers to dive in more. All of these are the consequences of bad governance and a culture of ‘make it by all means’. Let’s be realistic please.

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The betting sites do register with the Nigerian Lottery Commission. There’s a percentage of profits set aside to be used by the government so you could say it (should) does some good.

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@Mauri, All the new police cars you see on Lagos roads are bought with the proceeds of gambling…

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A friend on Facebook once said that “Sportsbet is the new Heroine”. Its addictive and that’s the sad truth.

I am a living witness and I can tell you that sportsbet is a deadly cancer that is eating deep into the heart Nigerians. I was once an addict and it was God that saved my soul.

I’m a 19 year old guy. I started playing Sports bet (bet9ja) at age 17 , fresh off from secondary school. I was unable to gain admission immediately after graduation , so rather than staying at home doing nothing , I decided to do what my mates were doing ; “Work for money”.

I secured a job at a nearby factory and it was during my time there I got exposed to sports betting and gambling , thanks to the kind of people I associated with (factory workers). I began playing this thing and if I can recall well , the highest money I’ve ever won is #5,000. But I’ve lost far more than that , Running into hundreds of thousands. I would work and work and when I get paid , I waste it on bet9ja , Hoping to " Double my money". I was young and naive. I wanted to make it young

Luckily for me , I got exopsed to internet business at a very young age and discovered smart ways to make real , legal money online. That changed my mindset and made me realise sports betting is just a waste of time.

So at age 19 , 100level compt science student : I run a couple of online businesses that generates six figure revenue per month (passively). That’s the kind of life I want , and that’s the kind of like SPORTS BET WILL NEVER give me or any one else.

You see , the thing is , once you start playing , you’ld always have this mindset that “The more you play , the better your chances of winning” but that’s a BIG LIE! . The more you play , the more you lose , the more addicted you become , and the more miserable you’ld be.

Football / Any sport is unpredictable. This bookmarkers know it and they’re fooling the masses. Who would have predicted that Germany will trash Brazil 7 - 1 ?

So when I see any young guy playing this thing , I weep for that person. He will not realise what he has done until its too late.

Stop being lazy! Use your hands! Use your brains!

PS : Before you attack me , pay a visit to one of this shops and observe the kind of people / activities that go one there. You will weep for the soul of this people. Visit on a Saturday and see for yourself.

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You have raised valid points Mauri. I have made these same points myself. There needs to be some sort of regulation: restricting betting shops to commercial areas only, betting shops should not be located near schools, residential areas, etc. These are some of the measures you see in countries like, the United Kingdom, where betting shops are run like proper corporations.

That being said, betting has been around for a long time, the money doublers, local lotto shops, baba ijebu and co. However, those types of betting shops had the tendency to attract a certain type of target audience. The difference with the new betting shops is huge. They have the branding, outlet design, advertising, that draws people in. For me, it boils down to principle, parents need to keep hammering that betting is bad and an addiction,to their kids from an early age. I have a cousin, who has a betting addiction. It has taken and keeps taking all he works for.

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That stuff is very much addictive. However, it is the opium for generation X in Nigeria. It is actually a consequence of bad governance and the ‘never-give-up’ attitude of Nigerians.

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You guys are being dramatic

The government can ban sports betting, but they won’t because they make money from it. Why don’t they ban the lottery as well or alcohol.

As for winnings, if you are smart, you can actually beat the system and make cash from betting and I can attest to the fact that betting companies pay. The number one rule for anyone who wants to start betting is, don’t chase bets. It is even clearly stated on betting sites, that betting is not a means of making money.
The betting companies have age restrictions and all sorts of rules in place, so if people want to be foolish and throw away their money, it’s not the government’s duty to stop them.

The best the government can do is put certain regulations in place and make sure these companies abide by them, but we all know how these things go in this country of ours.

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Hope!

As long as it’s alive, the nation’s peace is assured. Maybe sports betting is taking the same place as religion in keeping the peace. By the way, 14 year olds are street hawking and earning money from other means. We do not have much better programs to take the minds of our youth off their problems. Our government might as well leave us with the little joys we have found. #LeaveBettingAlone

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Our never-give-up attitude should be commendable … Leave us with our opium. It’s not like we have much else going for us.

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Exactly, Sir. Some things cannot be stopped. We might as well make them taxable, and harness them so they work in our favor … Nigeria is going through a recession, and our suggestion is to block a viable revenue source? Come on, Nigerians!

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Forgive my dramatic view but I believe that the idea of betting and the message betting companies send with their adverts are wrong.

It gives people the ABSOLUTELY WRONG idea that money (or any success) can be made easily.
I think it’s the same thing as all those spam adverts that say things like.
“Single mom makes $150,000 weekly working from home”
“See the secret way to become a millionaire in 2 months”
“Billionaires want this video banned from the internet”

It eats into the lazy mindset of people.

Now there is no system to beat. The odds are structured so that the house always wins.
When you supposedly win you will be paid from those that loose. After the betting company takes their share.
In extremely rare occasions are the amount of daily wins greater than the amount of daily losses.

If you read the guidelines of opening a store with the betting companies, it says that you will be paid a percentage of the net LOSSES from your store.
You see they expect you to loose your money!
I have never seen a shadier business model. They tell you that you can make money every week but structure it so that you loose your money.

99% of people will tell you that they have lost more money that they have won… usually in multiples.

I believe that we should all stop looking for easy money and hustle. The hawker on the street while not respected or living an easy life, is at least sure of making profit. Why then would you decide to place you money on things you have absolutely no control over?

Stop being lazy.

Hustle.

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They don’t force anyone to believe the message, so that’s not on them.
Like you rightly said, it thrives on

but it does not create a lazy mindset where there isn’t one.

I don’t think this is correct.
The agents & betting companies share in the profit and loss; the agent gets the lion share of both, of course.
How do I know this? I’ve helped a prospective agent set up a NairaBet center in the past.

…and stupid.
This is the moral of the story, and I agree with it

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Humans by nature are creatures of addiction. It is true the economic climate might be a precipitating factor, but that is all it is - a precipitator. How do you explain the huge appetite for gambling in developed climes?