Betting on the World Cup from Dakar: When Football Becomes a Digital Lottery

Dakar is buzzing, but not only to the rhythm of shots on goal and dribbles. Hours before the first match of the 2026 World Cup, another fever grips the Senegalese capital: sports betting. Over the past five years, the sector has gone fully digital. No need to trudge to a smoky shop in Médina or the Plateau anymore: a few taps on a smartphone suffice to bet on the match winner, the number of goals, or the first scorer. For thousands of young Dakarois, the World Cup has already begun, long before the opening whistle. This democratization of online betting has transformed the relationship with football. Where once we celebrated the beauty of a pass or the magic of a goal, now we calculate odds and probabilities. Betting apps bloom on screens, promising easy money to a youth hungry for quick success. Whether you're in Paris, Montreal, or New York, you've likely seen those flashy ads on social media: they target the diaspora too, who sometimes place long-distance bets on the Lions of Teranga. But behind the thrill of the game lies a darker reality. Testimonies from indebted bettors are multiplying, and prevention associations are raising the alarm. Betting is no longer an occasional pastime: for many, it has become an addiction, a delusional hope of escaping poverty. And if the World Cup exacerbates this trend, it's because it offers a dense match schedule, with renewed betting opportunities every day. The Senegalese government tries to regulate the sector, but the line between re