How a church elder lost GH¢800,000 to sports betting in one day

A church elder has dedicated himself to preaching and advocating against betting addiction.

Jonathan arrived at this decision after losing huge sums of money on sports betting. Not only did he lose money including his wife’s savings, but he has also gone from owning three houses and a fleet of cars to being left with nothing and owing some GH¢100,000 in debt.

“A friend introduced me to betting, and my first stake was GH¢5000. I was a novice, but the guy who introduced me was good at sports analysis, so I had a profit of GH¢3900,” he told Giovani Caleb on the 3FM drivetime show.

His first three attempts at sports betting saw him accumulate as much as GH¢800,000.00 in winnings.

“The second time, I placed a bet of GH¢3000 and won GH¢5000. The third time, I staked GH¢20,000 and won GH¢80,000. I asked God, where has this been all this while and I have been suffering. I didn’t know there was such an avenue to make me rich, and that day, the betting spirit sank deep into my spirit and blood,” Jonathan said.

On his fourth attempt to multiply his winnings, Jonathan said he staked all the accumulated amount on a single bet which he lost.

Losing GH¢800,000.00 led Jonathan to borrow money for further betting rounds. He went on to lose everything including his life savings and other amounts he borrowed.

Since this time, he has taken up the responsibility of dissuading others from getting involved in gambling and getting addicted.