Petrus’ family has sat him down for serious talks more than once considering that 2021.
As a teacher and former soccer player, he be enjoying a proper life at domestic at Biro village in the Kavango East region.
His debt state of affairs has, however, spun out of control.
Loan sharks are on the hunt for him, making an attempt to collect the over N$200 0 he owes after struggling devastating losses on sport betting.
“I have made money from having a bet in the beginning. The most I have won used to be $76, 000 in one bet,” he says.
“I have built my house with the money. The other money I have spent used to be on clothes and sound asleep in hotels at Divundu and Rundu. I love the lodges and pleasing friends.”
He shares his story while sitting underneath a tree, ready for an uncle from Windhoek to meet with him to discuss his monetary situation.
Things started out going south in May 2021.
Petrus started having a bet his total salary, borrowing cash from relatives, pals and later from mortgage sharks.
He failed to win the cash back.
“I don’t be aware of what happened. It is like the computer systems were throwing my identify out,” he said. “I commenced winning N$800, once in a while N$100 after placing up N$3,000 or N$5 000,” he says.
Petrus now sees the game having a bet world as a dark place.
“I don’t drink, smoke or go after women, and that’s the horrific part, due to the fact I did now not use the winnings on my family, however I entertained my friends,” he says.
“I idea it was once a sinless activity. Today I have been rescued from taking my lifestyles twice by using my family, due to the fact I just can’t stand the disgrace I have brought them.”
Petrus’ sister says they are keeping a close eye on him since he has written a suicide notice twice already.
“The first time, he left the letter with the children at home, and we had to cut him out of the rope,” she says.
“The second time used to be at his girlfriend’s vicinity while people were sleeping. Luckily she woke up when he was once about to put the rope round his neck.”
“I don’t understand why our authorities does not do something about the having a bet business, due to the fact it will ruin families,” she says.
IT’S A LIFESTYLE
This is the story of many victims of over 1 500 game betting firms in the country.
Regular customers put on bucket hats, flip-flops and soccer team shirts. Sometimes they are responsible members of society.
‘OkaBetting’, as it is often recognised in the townships, often features in young men’s conversations.
They will incur huge debts, and the chain of dependancy will continue.
A few will drop out, however new betters always join.
A Windhoek-based taxi driver, who wishes to be known solely as ‘Chippa’, believes it is only a rely of a few more tries before he receives his ‘big break’.
“One day, I will consume that machine, and I will depart all this donkey work behind,” he says.
From throughout the avenue of JSB betting residence in Werner List Street, Chippa firmly believes “anything can happen”.
At 18h00 it’s rush hour for taxi drivers, however while his fellow drivers combat for customers, Chippa says he’s carried out for the day.
“I had a small setback yesterday. I misplaced an N$800 wager that Switzerland would beat Spain. I was attracted by way of the potentially massive reward of multiplying my money seven times. OG! This soccer, neh.
“I have now asked for a loan from a friend, so I can at least have something to give to my boss later tonight, and he asked me to wait for him here,” he says.
The slim 29-year-old, firstly from Oshakati, is adamant that he will bounce back from this “small setback” with greater wisdom.
Chippa says he started gambling during the pandemic, when he wasn’t earning adequate money as a driver.
“A buddy showed me his winnings on a guess slip, and I concept this may want to be a doable way to complement what I was once making in a day using around three clients per trip,” he says.
The endless adverts on TV only made making a bet extra enticing, he says.
“Do you be aware of Betway? They are proper in pronouncing having a bet makes observing soccer even more exciting,” he says.
CHASING LOSSES
For psychologists, these testimonies are all too familiar. In the area of behavioural finance, researchers have discovered the pain of dropping money is higher than the pleasure skilled when gaining the identical amount.
Clinical psychologist Cynthia Beukes of Saffron Psychologists says this regularly leads gamblers to “chase their losses” by doubling bets to rapidly make up for preceding losses.
Chippa’s behaviour is characterised as aggressive, and labelled as ‘cognitive bias’.
A report by way of Charles Schwab Asset Management, the third-largest asset supervisor in the world, says: “This bias happens when investors (people) focus on the result of a manner instead than on the system used to attain the outcome.
“Behavioural finance is a developing discipline that challenges the common economic theory that presumes customers are rational.”
The asset supervisor says human behaviour is rather driven by means of “fear and greed”, and that people can be self-destructive.
BOOMING INDUSTRY
In southern Africa horse racing, slot machines, roulette, poker, blackjack, and baccarat are the most popular gambling things to do apart from activity betting.
The fee of international recreation betting used to be estimated at N$3,2 trillion, according to research company Polaris.
Namibia has a booming playing industry too.
Data from the Namibia Statistics Agency shows that over N$300 million really worth of gambling machines have been imported into the us of a between 2010 and 2021.
According to records acquired from an enterprise player, the agency has a month-to-month turnover in extra of N$1,4 million on average, and a every year turnover of more than N$17 million.
The Khomas area points the best variety of transactions, whilst the common quantity of bets positioned via clients per day equals three 000.
According to BtoBet, a multinational organization which develops new gambling technologies, heavy recreation bettors assembly the criteria for medical playing problems are “typically male, younger (up to age 35), single, wholly employed, and have a high degree of education”.
These players believe sport gambling is extra about ability than luck, which distorts their questioning process.
Across Africa football is the most famous sport for wagers – especially when it comes to the English Premier League.
According to BtoBet, mobile price alternatives have delivered gambling to the loads – even to these except financial institution accounts.
But deposit card and Bitcoin repayments are also turning into popular, and telecoms and gambling operators are additionally teaming up.
BOOKMAKER
Gambling arrived in Namibia with South Africa’s JSB betting in 1989, however the business has mushroomed over the ultimate decade.
Namibia is but to appoint a regulatory authority.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism quickly acts in this capacity, however has no document of the quantity of operators, spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says.
The proprietor of Premier Sports Trading (PST), Steve Hamunyela, says he sees game having a bet as recreational.
Rather than frowning upon the industry, Hamunyela calls for higher protection and regulation, so that making a bet would gain the community and make contributions to state revenue.
“Sport making a bet wishes regulating to defend problem clients, create greater jobs, ensure enterprise gamers plough lower back in the community, and the authorities receives its truthful share,” he says.
“At the moment, there are foreign operators with a massive presence in Namibia. I am now not too positive the government is benefiting as it should.”
Hamunyela says this would assist stop illicit activities, such as cash laundering, and advance partnerships with leagues, teams, and participant associations.
This, in accordance to him, would improve average sport participation and enthusiasm in the country.
PST betting retail outlets run at some stage in the country, and have a developing online offering.
Hamunyela says PST currently has about 150 zero energetic customers on their online platform, a turnover of about N$4 million a month, and repayments to consumers of no less than N$1 million per month.
“We have created employment for 350 keep operators in our brick-and-mortar making a bet shops, and 17 more employees at our head office,” he says.
FRIEND OR FOE?
But Beukes says gambling and game betting are extraordinarily addictive, which may want to lead to psychiatric disorders.
The ‘feel-good’ emotion from prevailing shares the same neural manner as the ‘high’ from taking drugs, she says.
“These are the identical neurons that manner sexual stimuli, cravings and drugs. This feeling can rapidly create an addiction,” she says.
“It’s an invisible disease. Many people do now not suppose they have a problem.”
Once the addiction is formed, the thought gets hooked on a certain accelerated level of dopamine, which the physique “thinks it needs”.
Beukes says some people are born with a vulnerability to addiction, while others showcase ‘cross-addiction’, giving up one vice to rapidly exchange it for another.
The medical psychologist says television advertisements are a integral influence.
“Adverts usually show happiness or success derived from the consumption or usage of a particular product. The talent is gaining knowledge of subconsciously,” she says.
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