Africa may be seen as a region of little development, but they pick on trends fast and they have picked on football betting too.

For a region like Africa, how did football betting penetrate so deeply? 

What were the catalysts that created this kind of acceptance and growth - other parts of the world would crave for. 

There are actually a few things that are responsible for the rise of betting apps in Africa. 

And severe are the consequences it is having on the populace. 

Youths, older adults, and even women have joined the trend - you will be surprised at what the stats are saying. 

A report by Business Insider showed that nearly 440 million people in Africa are into betting actively - quite a number.  

You might think that number is small. 

But if you look at the countries, you will be way surprised. So for Nigeria, that has the highest users, about 168 million people are betting. 

Not bad, yes? 

Well, the country’s population is 237 million. 

So 168 million out of 237 million people are betting in Nigeria. 

That is outrageous you could say but South Africa is way more because it was seen that there are 58.3 million people who bet and the country is just 64.7 million. 

It is a 90% participations - there are not so many countries that have this much of a participation percentage. 

Nigeria and South Africa are giants in Africa and they are also leading in sports betting.

But there are four other countries that are giving betting sites and platforms more money and they are:

1. Ghana 

2. Uganda 

3. Kenya 

4. Tanzania 

The ratings show that these are the countries that have the most market now. 

But then, there is a reason. 

A reason why betting is now taking centerstage. There is a reason why it seems like everyone is betting today. 

It is not even something for men alone but even women - young girls and adults too are betting. 

What Betting in Africa Looked Like Before

Not just in Africa but almost everywhere - betting was done in shops. 

There were bet shops where you go and stake games and then print out the slip. 

If the game wins, you go back with the slip and ask for your wins. 

Because of that it was hard for a lot of people to bring themselves to bet. 

The stigma was a big challenge - once you are seen going into a gambling shop you are immediately considered a societal mockery. 

That alone discouraged many. 

Hence there was low participation even though there were some who defied any mockery and strolled in to place their bets when they wanted. 

How Everything Changed

Everything changed in terms of betting because we now started to have easy ways to bet. 

And that easy way to bet was betting apps. 

Betting apps became so popular because with a betting app, you won’t need to look for a shop or get out of your house to go and bet. 

You could do it from anywhere you are. 

Simple. 

It was the rise of betting apps that made more people join betting in Africa - just like other parts of the world. 

How did Betting Apps Become So Popular

Well, thanks to betting apps, betting is everywhere in Africa and among so many Africans. 

Then there are a couple of things that can be seen from the apps that are what gave rise to betting. 

We look at these then we can see why gambling addiction became mainstream. 

So how did betting apps become quite popular: 

1. They became very accessible and convenient for 24/7 betting 

2. Live betting became very accessible so people can bet when the game is going on - something that could not be done before. 

3. Fast deposits and withdrawals so that you do not have to go to a shop to put in money or withdraw when you win. 

As we are looking at these things - which are mainstream and basic - we can also say that aggressive marketing is helping to promote betting apps. 

Influencers are helping to promote apps. Even football clubs are brandishing bet apps like 8xbet, Betway, Betano, SkyBet and so on. 

You cannot be online and not see the advertisements of these platforms. 

Gambling Habits in Africa

The rise of betting apps have serious consequences. 

For one, people now bet daily. Formerly, people will want to bet on the weekend. 

Only when there is a Champions League match will they want to bet in the middle of the week. 

But now, so many bettors are betting every day. 

Some are even betting almost every hour - this is brazen and a problem. 

Also, the way live bets has given people wins is now something that encourages them to bet more. 

Then there is the problem of unemployment in Africa. 

That alone has driven nearly half of the population into playing sports betting. It is also why the most people who bet are youths. 

Generally, 

We can blame betting apps for the growth of gambling in Africa but there are other culprits. 

The culprits that are clear are the unemployment state and poverty in the region.