SPORT BETTING: A NEW PHENOMENON IN YOUTHS IDLENESS.

SPORT BETTING: A NEW PHENOMENON IN YOUTHS IDLENESS.

If you've noticed lately that most of the youths in your community seems to be quite obsessed more than usual with sports programs - there could only be one reason for that and it may be something known as sports gambling/betting. The popularity gained by the sports betting industry is absolutely phenomenal and unprecedented. Surveys show that majority of able bodied youths in Nigeria are participating in one sport betting or the other. It became so infectious to the extent that market women, commercial bus operators, okada riders, artisans and even public and private employees now find succor in playing sport bet. 

Hardly would you passed by major streets in Lagos and not come across sport betting shops here and there.

Sports gambling/betting allows players to make calculated bets on teams of their choices. Sometimes, points and odds are added to make sports gambling bets more exciting and challenging. These odds also shows how sports gambling bookies earn their incomes. The disadvantage of participating in sports betting far outweighed the advantages in the real economic sense. According to the religious point of views, these are the various positions on gambling:

"They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say, 'In them is great sin and some benefit for men; but the sin is greater than the benefit." (Qur'aan 2:19).

"O believers! Intoxicants and gambling, worshipping stones and divination by arrows are impure, of shaytan's handiwork: refrain from such abomination that ye may prosper. "(Qur'aan 5:90).

Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Proverbs 13:11.

As much as we all like to be comfortable in one way or the other, gambling most definitely is focused on the love of money and undeniably tempts people with the promise of quick and easy riches. Our youths have been infected with the “GET RICH AT ALL COST SYNDROME”, we have witnessed different era of quick riches such as; “419”(advance fee fraud), yahoo-yahoo, yahoo plus, money rituals, Baba ijebu(Lotto), etc. The latest trend in town is sport betting, the virus is spreading like wildfire in the forest so much so that it has further increased the level of idleness in our youth. The Government authority who gives legitimacy to the sport bet business is not helping our youth to explore the full potentials of engaging in productive activities devoid of gambling and bets. It is mentioned in the bible 1^st Timothy 6:10 that “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Also in another verse of the bible Hebrews 13: 5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Consequently, the pitfall associated with sport bet and gambling are enormous, its resultant effect could be:

1.    Labour loss

2.    Laziness

3.    Weakness of faith

4.    Loss of income

5.    It increases crime

6.    It increases the level of desperation to acquire wealth

7.    It ruins precious lives

8.    Sport betting/gambling does not enhance mental skill

9.    The people involved sometimes become bankrupt and violent

10.                     It is a time bomb just like every other wealth multiplier scheme we have had in the past.

Finally, it is about the right time we re-orientate our youths on the scourge of sport betting and gambling, the time is now to create awareness on the evils associated with this alien greek gift business imported into the African economic culture.

Lekan Olanite

lekanolanite@gmail.com

08034201291