By Victor Adar
If you think that successful people only started off from loans, salaries or profits from businesses, which is always the case, think again. There’s a group of people who are simply lucky, depending largely on gambling in order to get money that they would finally use in setting up various businesses.
Success tales are told of friends, nephews and cousins whose dreams came true after winning jackpots. Lots of people actually live better lives thereafter, even end up building their start ups out of money won after betting. To those who gamble big time, it is a way of investment, better than loans and savings – big dreams of buying flashy phones, owning homes and houses, or affording posh cars have seen light of the day thanks to such peculiar ways.
According to Kinyua Raxon who is the regional director for Betin, betting is both competitive and fair for the consumer thus reinforcing the view that the Kenyan economy benefits through taxation and regulation while over and above working with local companies to encourage entrepreneurship. But should Kenyans continue to gamble more?
“We are dedicated to positively impacting the economy and this is evidently showing through our agents business network. We are not only creating employment, we are empowering entrepreneurs to start and support their own businesses and grow a network for themselves, helping them for the future,” says Raxon.
With all the negativity going around especially of gamers who lose their stake, Mr Raxon was recently proud to honour Evalyne Wanjiru Karaba for joining the millionaires club thanks to a Sh20 million Betin jackpot win. Determined and inspired, the 24-year-old from Ruiru is proof that perhaps not everyone is doomed to fail as far as gambling is concerned.
After playing multi-bets for some time having joined the platform this September 30, Ms Karaba decided to give a try at the jackpot with the hopes of winning one day. She was introduced to sports betting by a friend and decided to take the betting journey alone hoping that should she win, many things will change in her life.
With memories of one slow night when she had no background of the teams that were playing still fresh on her mind, the young winner was surprised big time, though glad that something made her rethink about placing a bet. Ms Karaba who is an office assistant is considered as one of the luckiest person if not a soccer master since she has only been playing for 3 months now and managed to scoop Sh20, 621, 429 by betting with only Sh399. It was mid-November when she earned herself a spot on the millionaires list after she guessed the 13 out of 13 jackpot matches correctly.
“It was just pure guesswork,” she said blissfully at a function that was held in a Nairobi hotel. “I decided to just tap at the jackpot game and here I am. I am surprised and I don’t know how I feel. I’ve been on other betting sites but that was my second month gambling at Betin. I never took it seriously upon receiving a call from betin as I didn’t expect it to be this soon but the person who called confirmed it to me.”
Listening to her, it sounds like the process of betting is easy. But it can also be challenging. All too often, more and more individuals end up being disappointed after placing bets thinking that they will make a fortune. The young millionaire encouraged fellow Kenyans to only stake what they can afford to lose and to continue playing and never give up on the possibility of winning one day, adding that any player should be viewing betting tips which she always found to be helpful.
In fact, it is not about the amount that you have but the quality of your “guess”. Apart from first class treatment courtesy of the gaming operator, the gaming brand, also offered to provide a financial advisor for Ms Karaba at her discretion.
The story is not unique to the director, Raxon, who says that Betin is moving towards empowering gamblers and is extremely happy when announcements such as this are made. Their brand, he says, will continue to bring new and exciting products such as the “cash out” feature into the market to ensure that customers are offered the best possible service. On rectifying the issue of reckless gambling, Mr Raxon says that powerful customer care engines aimed at educating customers on a 24/7 basis are in place.
“It confirms that our products and services are worth taking a chance on. Everyday at Betin we strive to provide a platform for entertainment that is not only one of the most exciting and competitive but one of the fairest. Every day, week and month, our customers are cashing out winnings that are changing lives for the better. Our tiered bonuses offer clients the chance to win huge amounts on sport each day,” says Raxon, adding that it is wise to engage on responsible gaming.
Maybe players are slowly starting to understand that the betting market is not just about the “jackpot”. There is far greater range of products that include over 100 markets on football, which – along with live betting product – that compliments full suite of casino and virtual games.
“We offer betting markets where customers can play with as little as Sh50 on some of the products. In addition to this, we are the only operator in Kenya who offers our customers free of charge deposits, with Sh10 free on the first deposit of the day if they put in between Sh90 and Sh99,” he says..
