Izuchukwu Okosi
The pulling power of betting cannot be overemphasized and it could be as rewarding as it is destructive.
Renowned Canadian rap star Drake is known to stake claims of big sums of money when top sporting activities especially in the combat sports is taking place.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDrake won an eye-watering $2.3 million bet on Kansas City Chiefs winning in the Super Bowl LVII but that has seemingly culminated in triple losses as the ‘Nothing was the same’, ‘Take care’ and ‘Thank me later’ crooner has repeatedly in recent months lost his wagers on the outcomes of some boxing and UFC fights.
Two months ago in January, the artiste lost over half-a-million pounds betting on Sean Strickland to defend his UFC middleweight championship against Dricus Du Plessis but that fell to shatters.
Nigerian fighters – or at least those with Nigerian descent – seem to attract his attention and he was at a loss when he predicted that Nigeria-New Zralandar, Isreal Adesanya, will beat Strickland only for Adesanya to lose.
Drake lost a massive £430,000 as a result of missing that shot.
And only on Saturday morning, Drake was not smiling as he lost £478,000 ( ₦ 683,252,819.35) after he had staked on former UFC champion Francis Ngannou beating Anthony Joshua.
That even drew a jab from Afrobeat superstar, David Adeleke (Davido) who ‘mocked’ his ‘money-miss-road’ friend and international colleague.
Beyond the fun and excitement seeing celebrities engage in these trending activities, the regulatory bodies must ensure that young people do not engage in acts that could jeopardize their financial stability.
Betting (and winning) have saved sone families from long-term difficulties but there has to be a cap to what betting companies must expect from their customers.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
