This article talks about the biography of Bet9ja owner, Kunle Soname. In addition, we’ll share interesting information regarding his net worth, wife, and his other businesses.
Bet9ja is now a trademark name in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, virtually all the youths in Nigeria know about the bookmaking company.
Many thanks to the genius behind the business, in the person of Kunle Soname.
Just within few years of setting up the betting company, he has risen to become one of the richest men in Nigeria.
But before making any assertions, let’s take a look at how he started it all.
Page Contents
Kunle Soname’s biography
Early life
Kunle Soname is from Remo, Ogun State, which is located in the southwestern part of Nigeria.
However, he spent most of his his childhood and growing up days in Lagos. He even attended Lagos State University (LASU) to attain his first degree.
As destiny would have it, Kunle Soname ventured into politics. In fact, he made quite some impression as a politician.
The most notable position he held as a politician was when he was appointed chairman of Ikosi-isheri Local Council, Lagos State from October 2003 – October 2011.
Business Ventures
Shortly after his tenure as Chairman of Isheri he launched the now popular Bet9ja gambling site.
The betting site, which was launched on 10th September 2013, turned out to be his biggest breakthrough.
Kunle Soname was able to introduce offline betting to Nigeria, which wasn’t widely practised as at then. His innovative move led to the growth of sports betting in Nigeria.
Several people who ordinarily wouldn’t have been able to place bets were only required to visit one of the offline gaming centers to pick matches and bet on.
The company operates an aggregation of both online and offline betting. The online betting is suitable for anyone who owns a smartphone and is not interested in queueing up at offline bet9ja shops.
His football clubs
In 2015, around two years after launching bet9ja — he bought Desportivo Feirense, becoming the first Nigerian to own a football club in Europe.
Desportivo Feirense is a club in one of the Portuguese Divisions.
Speaking of his acquisition of Desportivo Feirense, he said: It is a great thing to have achieved this. My sincere gratitude to God and everyone involved in the take over process,”
“Securing Clube Desportivo Feirense was the next step in the right direction for me. I love everything about the club: the organisation, the philosophy and the fans I have no intention of changing anything in the club because I am satisfied with their operations.
“Rather, I want to ensure the progress of the club through promotion to the Portuguese Primera division.
“I still have my commitment to Remo Stars FC; it is the beginning of all I have achieved in football and I will keep improving the team to get it to the greatest heights,” he added (as quoted by the Guardian newspaper).
Aside from his Bet9ja and Desportivo Feirense, Kunle Soname is the owner of Remo FC, a club in the Nigerian Football League (NFL).
Kunle Soname’s Net Worth
Kunle Soname has an estimated net worth that’s over $100 million, which has an equivalence of 36 billion naira.
The business that contributes the most to his net worth is Bet9ja, which operates under the parent company KC Gaming Networks Limited.
Kunle Soname has nearly 100% stake on the betting site. Which means, he gets to enjoy nearly all the profits from the company.
Family: Wife and Children
Mr Kunle Soname is very private about his family life; However, we can confirm that he is happily married. His wife’s name is Kemi Soname.
Kunle and his wife, Kemi, are blessed with a daughter named Erioluwa.
For now, we can’t confirm if he has other children. We will update this post as soon as we get more information regarding his family.
Profile summary
- Name: Kunle Soname
- State of Origin: Ogun State
- Businesses: Bet9ja, Clube Desportivo Feirense.
- Net worth: $100 million