Sports betting is reshaping football fandom in Ghana and beyond, turning passion into profit and shifting how fans experience every match, stat, and decision.
On every weekend in Accra, football fans sit in sports bars, viewing centers, and betting shops watching European football games intently not because they support teams, but because they need at least three corners before halftime to win their bet.
Take Arsenal’s Premier League game against West Ham at Emirates Stadium. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, the Gunners have scored 22 goals from 360 corners, or one every 16 taken. So, for the “investors,” it makes sense to stake given Arsenal games turn to produce more corners.
This is the new reality of football fandom. Across the world, from London to Lagos, Accra to Nairobi, fans are no longer just watching football—they’re investing in it. Sports betting has turned the game into a financial opportunity, shifting how people experience every pass, shot, foul, and, most recently, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision.
Sports betting is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, worth over $85 billion in 2023 and projected to rise to 133.59 billion U.S. dollars by 2029.
In Europe, betting companies dominate football sponsorships, with more than half of Premier League teams receiving millions from these partnerships. Betway has been the shirt sponsor for West Ham for some years.
African betting operator Sportybet has a partnership with one of the sporting giants, Real Madrid, a move that aims to give African football fans a closer connection with the club.
The Rise of Mobile Betting Among Ghanaian Youths
In Africa, betting has become a daily habit for millions of young people, with mobile apps making it easier than ever to place bets instantly.
Ghana is no exception. The betting culture has exploded recently, with online platforms like Betway, Sportybet, 1xBet, and BetPawa leading the charge. You would find all these apps on the mobile phones of many young people, regardless of their level of engagement in football.
A Statista survey (2021) revealed that 70.68% of Ghanaian youths engage in gambling, placing Ghana fourth in Africa after Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Additionally, around 80% of these youths spend six to eight hours daily on online sports betting during school hours.
Betting shops can be found on nearly every street, and mobile betting apps have made it possible to wager anytime, anywhere.
For many Ghanaian youth, betting is more than a game—it’s a source of life-changing income. With high unemployment rates and limited job opportunities, betting offers the illusion of easy money.
In 2023, there was a national discussion on betting after the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government introduced a 10% tax on winnings. While this move was hugely opposed, it did not deter the youth from betting. The betting tax has since been scrapped by the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
“The scrapping of the betting tax has brought relief to me. The investors can rejoice.”- Kwame, a bettor said. Many fans now watch football not for passion, but for profit. People no longer watch football based on club loyalty.
Instead, they focus on the teams that offer the best betting odds. “Sometimes I pray that my team Man City loses because of my slip”- Julius a football fan said.
Even outside top European league matches like Celtic vs Rangers can attract huge attention because of betting potential. Goals, yellow cards, corners, and penalties now mean more than just game statistics—they determine financial wins and losses.
Watching football has become an emotional roller coaster, not based on team performance, but on whether a bet will hit. Local betting shops and sports bars are packed on match days, with fans tracking live bets on their phones.
Discussions have shifted from football tactics to betting strategies, with terms like “over 2.5 goals,” “double chance,”,” player to score” and “both teams to score” becoming everyday language.
The traditional love for the game is fading. Some fans admit they no longer enjoy football unless they have money. Gabriel, a young Ghanaian bettor, shared his experience: “I used to love watching Barcelona play because of Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta.
Now, I don’t care who wins. I’m not interested in who played well, what the coaches did, and how the goal came. I just need my bets to go through. It’s not the same anymore.”
Sports betting is here to stay. With technology making it easier and more accessible, the trend will only grow. Football will not remain the same when every moment has a price tag. Sports betting is taking something away from the game we love.
This article was initially written by Princeton Wiredu and first appeared on GhanaWeb.
