A fisherman from Aberdeen has won 746,040 Leones (746 million old Leones) with Mercury International football betting. 

Sulaiman Kamara, whose wife just gave birth to a baby girl, staked just 10 Leones on 13 football teams to become Mercury’s first big money winner in 2026 for its offline football bets. 

The joyous and excited Kamara said, “I believe that my newborn daughter brought me a winning charm, and this win is proof that my daughter will be my lucky charm.”

Road to Becoming a Multimillionaire 

Image: Sulaiman Kamara holding a cheque from Mercury International

Kamara, in his 30s, depends on the small-scale fishing he normally does at Aberdeen for his and his family’s daily survival. 

As a longtime Mercury punter, Kamara said he started playing Mercury lotto years ago when Mercury International first came to Sierra Leone. 

He said at first, he didn’t know how to play bets, so Kamara would rely on his friends to teach him how to bet. 

After learning from his friends, Kamara started betting on football matches. 

He said, “This is not my first time winning, I have won in the past 800 Leones, and my highest win was 4,000 Leones.” 

On Saturday, January 17th, 2026, Kamara bet  10 Leones on 13 football matches to win 500,000 Leones plus a bonus, which summed up the total amount to 746,040 Leones. 

At the betting counter, Kamara said he encouraged some of his friends to play the bet, but they didn’t. 

“They told me I won’t win the ticket because the teams and points I took were too big, so they said it’s impossible.”

Fortunately for Kamara, with the “luck and blessings” his newborn daughter brings to his household, he won the ticket, making him the first big-money winner for offline football betting this year. 

Message to Fellow Punters

Speaking to SwitSalone about his winning and becoming a multimillionaire, Kamara urged his fellow punters to continue playing. 

“My message to my fellow punters is, do not give up. Continue playing, because if you don’t play, you lose, but if you play, you win,” said Kamara. 

He also encouraged punters to trust in Mercury, as he believes that “Mercury is not like other betting companies. When you win, irrespective of the amount, whether it’s billions, they will pay you.” 

Mercury International is Sierra Leone’s biggest betting company and one of the oldest in the Mano River region. 

Established in Sierra Leone in 2006, the company has paid out trillions of Leones to millions of customers since its inception.