Betting and gambling craze has made a number of Kenyans millionaires without batting an eyelid. The industry has grown from about Ksh3 billion gross turnovers five years ago to over Sh200 billion, with the government reaping about Sh15 billion from the betting companies for the last two years.
While unfounded facts will insist that betting is not good for the economy because some enthusiasts bet their whole salary away, others have proved that betting just like any other game or business can be a money-making machine.
Although the taxman has been waging war against betting firms, with an unfavorable tax regime forcing the likes of Sportpesa to completely cease operations, there are over ten licensed betting firms that are sailing through the storm to make ends meet. Here is a step by step guide on how to bet your way into becoming a millionaire for those who have been having second thoughts about going down this road.
Open a betting account
One has to have a betting account with any of the licensed betting firms just like a normal bank account. There are requirements that must be met to open an account.
- The applicant must be 18 years of age and above and of legal capacity to place a bet.
- Must have a valid, Mpesa registered phone number.
- Must have access to a mobile phone or internet connectivity. One phone number can only be registered once.
Before choosing a betting firm to open an account with, you must look at a firm’s betting payouts, first deposit bonuses to first time customers, deposit and withdrawal methods, minimum bet stake, easy navigation, competitive odds and above all the reputation of the betting firm.
Research on the team and players in a particular match
You must do your homework well to be able to win. Because one cannot practically watch all the matches in major leagues so as to have a clear understanding of the systems each team uses, there are a number of sites that you visit to have access to statistics and analysis of some teams.
They include www.sofascore.com, www.windrawwin.com, and www.futbol24.com among others. Look at the last five matches that each team took part in, news on key players with injuries and those returning from injury, etc.
Tricks and tactics to secure chances of winning
- Have the right attitude towards betting, it should not always be about making quick cash. Invest wisely and not out of greed or sheer emotions
- Have interest and passion for sporting. Betting is not just in football alone. If you have in for it you must at least have an idea about the players, their ranks and how the game is played. This way you will be able to do your research easily and crack the statistics.
- Start small always. If you don’t have enough funds to use as a large stake so as to get large winnings, simple divide the available stake and use it on multiple bets that have the required minimum stake amount. Ensure that each of the bets placed does not be target very high winnings, so you increase your chances of having some winnings.
Place the bet
Each firm has its underlying rules and regulations. Suppose you have an account with Bet Palace, you can place a minimum stake amount of Kes 20, maximum stake amount for a single bet is Kes 10,000 and 20,000 for a multi-bet. In a day, a user is being allowed to a maximum of 15 single bets, 10 Multi bets and 6 Jackpot bets.
To place a bet via text message one has to SMS number 29085 to bet;
- For 1X2 market you send, GAMEID#1# Amount (1 for a home win, X for a draw and 2 for away win).
- For both teams to score Yes or no, you send GAMEID#GG#Amount (for both teams to score) and
GAMEID#NG#Amount (for no both teams to score). - For Over and Under goals scored, especially Over2.5 and Under2.5, the most preferred market, to bet on text SMS GAMEID#OV25# Amount or GAMEID#UN25#Amount to 29085.
When you lose a potential bet
This is the most heartbreaking and discouraging bit about betting. Some firms have come up with a bonus policy that refunds a portion of the stake used on placing your bets. If you place a bet that has total odds of 4 or above, 10% of the stake used is immediately refunded on bet placement.
Betting is a game of luck. Next time be sure to check out on prediction sites available online such as SmartSoko where you pay some money. However, the predictions may not always be correct.
Above all bet responsibly.