A Whish Money branch in Sassine Square in Ashrafiyeh. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
After not placing a single sports bet in over three years, Ghassan Doulani, 42, a husband and a father of two, broke his streak to bet on the 2022 World Cup.
Doulani seized the opportunity of the tournament to have some fun and — hopefully — make a little money amid Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis, which has substantially depreciated his salary as a public school teacher.
“I am not aiming high, maybe my [monthly] salary’s worth of profit, but so far it has been so bad. I have been losing more than winning,” Doulani told L’Orient Today.
According to analysts with Barclays PLC, a global financial service provider, $35 billion will be wagered on the 2022 FIFA World Cup worldwide, a 65 percent increase from the last World Cup following a surge in online gambling during the pandemic.
But in Lebanon — which continues to struggle under an unprecedented economic crisis that has plagued the country since October 2019 — betting has become an odd luxury.
“I don’t aim high, very reasonable amounts. My goal is not to become rich,” Doulani added. “I would never accept it that my daughter wouldn’t be able to buy the piece of clothing she wanted because of a bet I made.”
Doulani’s strategy is to place a low amount of money on a high-risk bet, with the hope of reaping tall rewards. In this World Cup, he said he bet a total of LL1,500,000, which amounts to less than $50 on the parallel market.
The world’s most popular betting website, Bet 365, is banned in Lebanon, but people have found creative ways to place their wagers.
*Hamad, 29, a mechanical engineer, told L’Orient Today that, among his family, only his wife knows about his betting hobby because it is frowned upon culturally. Even his wife is not a fan of the idea.
He explained that, before this World Cup, he would bet through a bookie or an agency with a foreign bank account.
“Once I wanted to collect my money, and the bookie told me to meet him somewhere, he came with a black window car, and he had a gun, and a hot woman in the front seat. It was like a movie scene,” Hamad said.
He explained that many gambling houses where he used to place bets have been raided and closed by security forces. The same fate also befell several cafes where he previously placed bets.
Contacted by L’Orient Today, multiple lawyers said betting is illegal in Lebanon, with the notable exceptions of Casino Du Liban and the Beirut Horse Track, near Tayyouneh. The lawyers also explained that any betting locality must obtain a permit from the Finance Ministry.
However, plenty of casinos are known to be operational in other coastal towns, such as Jounieh. Whish Money, a widespread cash money company, also allows customers to place sports bets via the website PlayLira.com.
A Finance Ministry spokesperson told L’Orient Today that the ministry has not issued any new sports betting permits. But people like Hamad continue to partake, regardless of legality.
Before this World Cup, Hamad said the most expensive bet he made was LL1 million. However, “this World Cup, I got excited and once bet LL2 million, which I lost.”
“I console myself by saying that I could have spent this amount by eating out at a restaurant,” he said. Despite that loss, he has come out ahead in this World Cup by about LL8 million.
A gateway for other countries
Some Lebanese people who live abroad in countries where betting is completely illegal still found a way to take advantage of Lebanon’s shaky legal scene.
*Nader, 26, who lives in Saudi Arabia, told L’Orient Today that he used to struggle with a gambling addiction.
“At some point, it was possible to use Bet 365 through banks. I couldn’t collect my money, but in spite of that, I used to bet for the fun of it,” Nader said.
“In one month period, 3 years ago, during my peak addiction days, I wouldn’t stop betting. I would bet on everything, sometimes the Israeli women’s football team — which I know nothing about— just to keep betting,” Nader added.
He said he stopped because he couldn’t collect his winnings and eventually lost all the money he had. However, this World Cup, Nader decided to restart to make the matches more fun to watch, but is trying to take it easy.
Nader now is betting through his friend’s Whish Money account in Lebanon. He and his friends have a WhatsApp group in which they discuss their betting strategy.
The 2022 World Cup has been described as the underdog’s World Cup because of the number of upsets.
In the first round of the World Cup, the Saudi Arabian team caused a stir by beating Argentina 2-1 but still failed to qualify for the second round. On the other hand, Morocco beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal to become the first Arab or African team to reach the semi-finals.
For people who chose to bet on the underdogs, this World Cup has paid off.
For Nader, the high odds that betting companies give to lower-ranked teams are “not fair” because he believes the World Cup is different for them.
“During the World Cup, they play with all their heart. Take Saudi Arabia vs Argentina as an example, small teams have more motivation to win, and so the odds don’t make sense.”
According to PlayLira.com, the odds for Sunday’s final World Cup is 2.73 for Argentina and 2.66 for France.
*Names have been changed.
