Bet9ja (bet9ja.com), a betting company is the second most visited site in Nigeria after Google (Google.com) according to a ranking by Alexa, an Amazon company that commercialises web traffic data and analytics.
This new position is a two-place jump from its fourth position this time last year.
The Alexa rank compares websites against each other to determine what site makes it to the top. Therefore, a general increase in web traffic does not mean the site’s ranking will improve. But in the case of Bet9ja, her ranking improved which tells that their “visit rate” is growing and rising faster than other top sites in the country.
The ranking takes into consideration the unique visitors and page views of sites over the past three months before deciding which URL is the most visited for that period.
According to a statement from the company, “The rank is calculated using a proprietary methodology that combines a site’s estimated average of daily unique visitors and its estimated number of pageviews over the past 3 months”.
In 2017, the top 10 most visited sites in Nigeria were:
Not much changed this year regarding who makes the top 10 rankings. However, their rankings have shifted. Facebook climbed to fifth position (from 6th), and Google NG rescinded to the third position (from 2nd), while Bet9ja leapt to the second position (from 4th).
Here are this year’s top 10 most visited sites in order:
- Bet9ja
- Google NG
- YouTube
- Yahoo
- Naija.ng (formerly Naij)
- Jumia
- Dailypost.ng
- Nairaland
Betting in the country has gone haywire with Nigerians reportedly spending about ₦5 billion daily to bet. Thrill, high unemployment rates, loss-chasing, and the hope of a big win are some of the psychologies driving an increase in the activity.
Internet and mobile penetration have aided the run of betting in the country as punters can now bet from the comfort of their homes, offices or/and on-the-go without having to visit a physical betting shop.
According to Alexa, visitors spend a whopping 16 minutes and 42 seconds on Bet9ja’s website per visit which is more than the time spent on Google (7 minutes 24 seconds) and Google NG (7 minutes 57 seconds) combined.
Some of their numbers come from computer operators at betting shops who help offline bettors enter their predictions into the system.
The average daily time on site could be so high because many operators tend to leave their systems perpetually on the Bet9ja site while being connected to the internet.
In essence, Bet9ja’s substantial offline presence aided their online visibility and web traffic.
In a small shop, one can find as many as 33 people at a given point in time. In fact, at a betting shop in Ojuelegba, the owner has had to hire bouncers to control the traffic to and from the shop.
The frequency of betting averages thrice a week for many bettors with a minimum of ₦100 per game. Many bettors have developed a higher tolerance for the activity as many need to gamble in higher amounts to derive the same level of satisfaction. Respondents even tell us that they know some of their friends who lie about their betting habits to their parents. Tolerance and cover-up are symptoms of a gambling disorder.
But will Nigerians take heed? Plus are our health institutions even paying attention to these new orders of mental disorder?
