Betting turns from foe to friend
IN the wake of an era that witnessed our beloved country derail in an arguably suffocating economic environment, where multitudes lost their jobs, when grocery shops and industries were closed, when money stopped circulating from the banks to people, in short, when money became scarce, the only industry that survived the whirlwind of events and stood the test of time is the betting industry.
“Win number 2 dogs, place for me horse number 3, what are the odds of winning margins of the match Egypt and Russia, what are the results of lunchtime lucky numbers in the UK49 and gos lotto . . . ,” well, these and more are the familiar chants that one comes across when entering a betting hall, a place where many people countrywide have taken to be their safe haven.
However, since time immemorial, betting has always been bedevilled, demonised and deemed illegal and uncouth. It has been believed that the rich spiral down from riches to rags because of betting, which many prefer to term gambling. Tales and myths are told of people who have diverted funeral or coffin funds to betting, more stories have been sung of people selling their belongings only to acquire money to go and bet, hoping to get more and recover the sold goods only to no avail.
The streets have been abuzz of these rumours and a lot more in the grapevine yet many have not thought of the advantages and benefits that come with betting. The other side of the coin has not been turned so as to dispel the ills that are assumed to come with betting. Betting has turned from being a foe to a friend.
At 7.30am every morning, one witnesses hordes of men standing in front of the doors of a betting hall, mostly the unemployed. They have resorted to betting as an effort of earning an income so as to be able to fend for their families, pay bills, debts and send their children to school. One can safely say betting has since become a daily job for some Zimbabweans.
As the betting hall doors are jammed open at 8.00am, you witness nothing but determination, hope and resilience as these men rush for football fixtures and horse race sheets for them to begin their days’ work, betting. In their multitudes, each one of them hoping to be a lucky winner at the end of the day and put food on the table.
“I do not have a job, I was one of those that were retrenched from the industries back then. I have never managed to get a job since then and the only place I have known to pull me through the day and help me get something is this betting hall. If I can place a bet just with $1 and be able to get $10 a day by playing live soccer matches in the morning, have I not done a day’s work? I can go and buy a loaf of bread and relish for my family and the days just go on and on that way. All I know is that the money I get from this place covers my rentals, pays fees for my children and much more. I am not even ashamed of anything because this is what I lean on since I do not have a job”, said one man who frequents the betting hall every morning.
It is not only a place that is frequented by the unemployed, men clad in suits or work uniforms are also seen jostling to lay bets by the counter. High profile ministers, the educated, university students, uniformed forces, foreigners are not exempted and this arguably insinuates that betting has become understood by many people from all walks of life and it is no longer the bad apple many people thought it was.
Betting has often been taken as a practice only done by men and shunned by women, but nowadays tables have turned, women are also seen betting on dog races, horse races, lucky numbers and also on football matches. Back in the conservative age, men would hide their betting escapades from their wives but nowadays, a man and wife stroll into a betting hall together, the wife going towards the lucky numbers terminal and the man on the soccer terminals. This has become the order of the day. To top up on what is seemingly already a surprising scenario, some men are joyfully accompanied by their wives to collect large sums of money after a major win. With such joy, a home is balanced.
A woman who preferred to remain unknown had this to say, “I am a single mother and to take care of my child I sometimes come and bet. Of course I do get piece jobs here and there but I do bet. Ever since I started betting I have had losses yes, but I do win and when I win I do something for my child. Betting complements my hustle,” she said.
Not fazed by condemnation from society and sealed with perhaps missions and visions to conquer the world, betting shops have flourished and sprouted throughout the country, becoming banks for people. They have become banks in the sense that if one places a bet over the counter, if their ticket wins, they are able to get any amount of money won instantly without having to stand in long queues. Real banks have a limited amount of money to be withdrawn in a day yet in a betting shop one gets their money up to the very last cent without a limit. This has brought smiles to those that have had the opportunity to bet and win.
With the ushering in of soft cash, which is normally found on EcoCash, bets are placed using EcoCash and one gets their winnings in hard cash. This has become a sigh of relief for many. In the middle of hard cash shortages, betting halls have been the knights in shinning amour.
Betting halls have an age limit of 18, those above 18 years are allowed in the betting hall. Instead of witnessing many fights in the local neighbourhoods, seeing groups of young boys on a drinking spree in the streets in their neighbourhoods or even smoking drugs, stealing or chasing after girls, some of these young boys are found spending their day in a betting hall hustling for money. Crime is slowly being eroded in the neighbours as these young boys also get to while up their time watching live soccer matches of their favourite teams. Before they know it they have to head back home when night falls, having kept away from danger the whole day.
There are mega jackpots, jackpots, national sports jackpots which has made a number of people countrywide millionaires. This being that some have started businesses from the money won on mega jackpots. Many have bought cars using the money from winning these jackpots, they have acquired household properties and some are even building houses from their jackpot wins. It is a breath of fresh air to many.
To put the icing on the cake, sport betting shops provide live streaming of matches, be it the Uefa Champions League, La Liga and even more exciting games such as the World Cup matches. Local live matches are streamed live in betting halls and people are able to place bets on their favourite local teams. These have provided entertainment, helping many to keep out of trouble.
As a parting shot, the manager of one of the sports betting shops in the country had this to say, “Sports betting has grown into a wonderful world of entertainment in which everybody is welcomed and accepted. A bet costs $1 to play and for that you can win up to $50 000. What bar or other social environment allows people to come together, unite and have fun watching their favourite teams play sport and it only costs $1? Well, in sports betting it often doesn’t even cost $1. And that is because a lot of people win. From every group of friends there is always one or more who leave a winner. And sometimes these wins are life changing. The World Cup soccer has started and there is no more exciting way to watch your team win than to do it with a dollar on them and hopefully come out with that money doubled or tripled when they win,” he said.