CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1      BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The love for sport has in recent times taken a new dimension with the advent of sports betting companies probably as a way of building a network of sports fans and supporters of sports. Sport betting is the activity of forecasting and predicting the result of sports matches or sports and placing a money stake or reward on it. Today online betting is very common among the youths from the age of 15-40 years and even older people also engage in online betting. The principal reason being that is gives quick and easy cash. But the fact remains that online betting is Betting. It is not a profession but an avenue to ruin the lives and future of young people. The concept of online betting has spread like wild fire into every city in the country without any challenge from the government not security operatives. Many youths are engulfed in the game to the detriment of their future. It is also appalling that many young secondary school and young school leavers are involved in this activity. There is a statistic that 70% of Nigerian youths are involved in sport betting. This implies that a greater percentage of the youth populations are becoming gamblers. Currently, there is neither law regulating the activity nor neither any government policy against sport betting. But the real fact remains that the lives of our youth and their future is at stake. The large segment of the population of youths in this game is from poor homes and those under bad social influences. Children from rich homes under parental guidance are exonerated from this group. It is certain that with the rate at which spot betting are growing unabated the future of many youths is at stake. A gambler makes a living built on hope. The study seeks to appraise the impact of sport betting on Nigerian youths. (A case of selected youth in Warri.).
1.2      STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The fact that sport betting gives quick and easy cash does not exonerate the fact that youth involved in the game are gamblers and a gambler only makes a living out of hope.  They are usually poor and pathetic people. Sports betting leads to provocation and sometimes results into violence when the fans don’t win. This youth tend to believe that they will one day become millionaires. This is only a fantasy that only ends in mental distress, insanity and suicide. Losing a bet leads to depression, Frustration and anger. The game is fast rubbing off the attributes of a true Nigerian youth who is full of vigour, diligence inner strength to excel and converting them into laziness. Sport betting leads to family conflictETimes Nigeria (2017).It destroys ones’ ambitions, creativity and innovation. The many great people who have achieved in life such as the Bill Gates of Microsoft. Mark Zuckerberg of face book, Dangote etc., were not active gamblers. Many youths have been deceived to think that there is life in betting. The problem confronting the study is to investigate the impact of sport betting on Nigerian youths. A case study of selected youths in Warri.