In the voice of Supreme Petras Anaab in a virtual conversation with Joy, he spent ¢10,000 on betting in 2021, but only made a profit of ¢200.
After punting for eight years, he felt he had little to show for his efforts, so he decided to leave the business a few weeks ago.
“In 2021, I spent nearly 10,000 on gambling and only won a measly 200. This is when I realized that the white man was using gambling to keep African youth from having a better future.”
“Because according to my calculations, if I combine the money I’ve spent [on betting] over the past eight years, it would exceed the GDP of Ghana,” he said.
When the administrators of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology revealed that some students were using their tuition money for illegal activities, such as betting, the issue of gambling erupted.
Students were deferred by the University for owing more than 70% of school fees, which led to this revelation. The story sparked a flurry of discussion in the media and on social media.
The former UG student, who appeared on Joynews’ The Probe, explained that he turned to gamble while he was a student to help pay for his living expenses.
However, he lost all of his hard-earned cash as a result of his compulsive behaviour.
“Because my father doesn’t pay for things like going to the stadium or having fun, I had to save up the money myself and, rather than steal it, I put it into gambling.”
It wasn’t just him who was unlucky; many of his friends were as well, he said.
As far as Anaab Ali is concerned, he hasn’t placed a bet in two weeks and hopes he can keep it that way.