Julius OkorieViewing and sports betting centres in the country return to their bubbling nature this weekend, as the ever popular English Premier League (EPL), and other leagues kickoff.
The beginning of every football season comes with a lot of expectations and projections with die-hard betting enthusiasts ready to invest their time and resources, describing it as another way of increasing income to supplement their earnings.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelNigerians like their counterparts in other African countries and across the globe are heavy partakers in the sport betting business.
According to a recent research by Net Operating Income (NOI) Polls, Nigerians spend over N730 billion annually on sports betting, and at least N2 billion is generated daily.
NOI measures the profitability of an asset or an investment after subtracting operating expenses from income.
The data also shows that over 60 million Nigerian punters, some of who take exception to being called gamblers, spend over N3, 000 daily placing bet stakes.
There are reportedly over 50 betting sites in Nigeria, with the number growing annually. As for viewing centres, it is better to count the number of streets without them than to attempt to count their numbers, especially with perennial problem of power supply in the country and intermittent increase of subscription fees by DSTV, forcing many to jettison monthly subscriptions.
With increase in pump price of fuel ranging from N800 to N1, 000 per litre depending on location, it is left to be seen how much die-hard view centre faithful who hitherto pay between N200 and N300 will be asked to pay this season.
Sports betting are particularly the most prominent of the betting segments, due to the love for football by millions of Nigerians, and the majority of the games are now done online.
The 2024/2025 EPL season, kicks off tonight, August 16, with Manchester United taking on Fulham at the Old Trafford.
When both teams met at the Old Trafford last season, it was Super Eagles duo of Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi that made things happen for Fulham, in 2-1 shock victory.
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Calvin Bassey struck first before Alex Iwobi increased the tally for Fulham. Harry Maguire got United’s only consolation goal in the 89th minute.
The feeling of the new season will however be felt from tomorrow, August 17, 2024 as more of the opening matches have been lined up.
Premier League New Comers Ipswich Begin Campaign Against Liverpool Saturday
Premier league new comers, Ipswich host Liverpool, Arsenal who missed the league title by the whiskers last season, host Wolves at the Emirates, Everton lock horns with Brighton, while Newcastle and Southampton dig it out at the St. James’ Park.
In the La Liga that has already kicked off, Osasuna face Leganes tomorrow, just as Valencia host La liga giants Barcelona.
In the Italian Serie A, Genoa kicks off with Inter Milan, Parma face Fiorentina, AC Milan tackle Torino while Empoli face Monza Saturday.
The French league begins tonight with Le Havre taking on league 1 giants, Paris Saint Germain. The new Bundesliga season will however begin on August 23.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
