When it comes to playing the lottery, it has been an uncontestable notion that the men have higher levels of lottery play than the women, and truly that is a fact. Going by lottery players’ demographics all over the world, especially in the United States, the males tend to gamble more frequently than females; but what is really the case in Nigeria?
In actual fact, Nigeria is no different from other parts of the world when it comes to men out playing the women in all forms of lottery, especially as it relates to Casino and Sports betting gaming. Maybe it’s the sportsmanship between the men, the correlated behavior inherent and often traditionally excusable with men but intolerable when it comes to women, or the likelihood of alcohol and other substances that might come to play during betting and staking of games that makes lottery higher amongst the male in Nigeria. It’s hard to really see women at pubs and beer parlors or at a brick-and-mortar betting shop, betting on the outcome of a match, or at Casinos gambling on a slot machine. Statistics and surveys aside, it is what it is.
However, the advent of that red terminal that characterized the Baba Ijebu lottery operations, is seriously challenging that notion. All you need to do is visit local markets, corner shops, streets, and even some residential estates in some areas in the south-south, especially Lagos and you will be amazed at the level women participate in actual lottery play. Women old and young understand the 5/90 game; play, draw, and winnings far more than the males sometimes and you will find out that some women are even the ones in-charge of the lotto terminals that the men play on.
What is the law of attraction for women then? Survival! Women being survivors are always on the lookout for where sustenance is coming from and the winnings and prospect of huge payouts attached to lottery gaming have become the attraction. You will find out that men and women play the lotto for different reasons; men can gamble for any reason ranging from the thrills of it, for social reasons like to make enough money to show off, impress a woman, or simply to close out a bar or just for general entertainment but women are driven differently; a desire to provide for the family, especially these days in most low-income families, where women tend to be the ones in control of finances and family upkeep; that desire is pushing women to change the culture in order to meet their needs and that of their families.
If lottery play moves predominantly to online and mobile play or games like scratch cards are brought to play in Nigeria, the percentage of women playing all forms of lotteries will increase. The truth is that as men or women, the attraction is to win, we stake or we bet and then we fantasize about winning huge sums of money and solving one problem or the other. Whether it’s a hairdresser playing to buy a new dryer, a store owner wishing to buy a new freezer, a housewife whose husband is missing in action and is worried about school fees and putting food on the table, playing for the family; surveys has shown that the law of attraction for women in playing the lotteries often boils down to survival.
The words of a hair product seller in Agboju market in Festac area of Lagos sums it up, “we have families to support and we need the extra income, so we play the lottery with hopes that the game will favor us and our dreams will come true and we win money”.
NOTE: Lottery is fun, play responsibly, and don’t play if you can’t afford to lose!!!
