Africa: Surge in Betting Fuels Poverty and Crime Across West Africa - Nextier Report

ABUJA - A recent policy analysis has raised concerns that the rapid growth of the gambling industry in impoverished regions of Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone is exacerbating economic hardship among young people and potentially contributing to higher debt levels, youth unrest, and certain forms of crime. Betting establishments have become ubiquitous in urban slums, motor parks, and informal settlements throughout West African cities, according to a study conducted by Joshua Biem, a Senior Policy and Research Analyst at Nextier, and Olive Aniunoh, a Legal, Policy, and Research Consultant at Nextier.

The researchers suggested that betting shops proliferate in these communities because the residents, particularly young individuals lacking employment opportunities and social support, are economically vulnerable. Nigeria's gambling sector ranks among the largest in Africa, with estimates suggesting that the industry generated up to $3.63 billion in betting revenues in 2025.

Moreover, more than 60 million Nigerians, predominantly aged between 18 and 40, are active bettors. The report highlighted that the proliferation of the betting industry has coincided with a deepening youth unemployment crisis, creating a concerning correlation between economic exclusion and increased gambling. The authors contended that gambling serves more as a coping mechanism for poverty rather than a route out of it, pointing out that the activity could exacerbate debt and fuel informal criminal networks when young people resort to gambling as an alternative income source.

They recommended harmonizing gambling regulations, enhancing age and identity verification procedures, capping the number and placement of betting outlets in vulnerable communities, and improving intelligence-driven monitoring of betting clusters linked to debt-fueled theft, cultism, or fraud. The researchers also advocated for targeted livelihood, vocational training, and financial literacy initiatives in slums and peri-urban areas, arguing that such measures would tackle the economic desperation being capitalized on by gambling operators.

They emphasized that while gambling companies do not create criminality independently, they tend to cluster in communities where economic desperation is most severe. The report cautioned that unless governments tackle unemployment, debt, weak social protection, and urban marginalization, the unchecked expansion of an under-regulated betting economy could worsen rather than alleviate the social pressures driving youth unrest across West Africa.