The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Life Reporter
WITH centres dotted across town, sports betting is undoubtedly on a new high, as centres reportedly rake in thousands of dollars every day from individuals hoping to be lucky enough to hit the jackpot.
Gambling has become more than just a pastime, as it has become the preferred means of making a quick and extra buck. The rise of betting in Bulawayo, if not the country is fast growing with sports wagering surging faster than regulators can react.
Betting zones have helped transform bookmakers from operators of dingy, smoke-filled betting shops into multi-billion dollar organisations. In Bulawayo there are approximately more than 10 betting centres both within and outside the central business district.
A survey carried out by Sunday Life showed that the general age group in betting centres varies from 18 to 50 years, with men at the helm.
“It’s a win or lose situation. I am a regular here. You don’t win all the time but when you do, the adrenaline pushes you to continue. I don’t do this to pass time but to earn a few bucks. There are no jobs out there and this is the better option for me to try my luck. Since I started betting I have won varying amounts ranging from $50 and $200,” said one Thabani Dube at one betting centre.
He said when he first started he lost but before he gave up he began winning and has been addicted to betting.
“I went back to bet a couple more times until I realised I could actually make real money out of betting. There are different disciplines, such as dog, horse racing and soccer, which are the most preferred. If you play your cards right by knowing how or paying attention to games and teams you can win big. I would just visit the casino whenever I needed some extra cash and soon realised if I kept winning, I could make some real money. Now I do it all the time,” he said.
Dube said he believed he could make more money than what he had lost. But it seems it is more than just a hobby but an addiction.
“I love betting,” said another youngster preferring anonymity. “Once you bet there is no way out. I have been betting since the greater part of 2016. I have lost quite a lot but have won a lot too so it’s a win-win situation,” he said.
Betting centres are always crowded during big soccer matches.
“If you are familiar with the English premiership then your chances of winning are high. I constantly watch soccer teams play and place my bets based on the teams’ form and performances,” said Patrice Gunda, a regular at the centre.
There are various methods of betting in sports betting, where you can predict the player of the match, which team will likely score on the first half and what the final score would be.
A staffer at one of the centres said betters were made up of different characters, contrary to what people believed that it was meant for thugs and poor people.
“You find all sorts of people here. The rich, poor, those seeking to hit a jackpot or those that are just seeking an adrenaline rush. I would admit that it is something that is addictive but it’s all in the nature of fun,” said the staffer preferring anonymity.
Gambling in Zimbabwe is legal and is regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs under The Lotteries and Gaming Board which operates in terms of the Lotteries and Gaming Act Chapter 10:26.
Casinos, lottery or lotto, horse and soccer betting are a “cleaner” type of gambling compared to playing cards in streets or houses.
In street gambling, some chancers are known to play while hiding a pocket knife under the foot. The knife is used in cases where the winner might think of leaving with the “jackpot”.
@peterkmatika
