Love for sports is rooted deeply in the hearts of the Nigerian nation. Their support for the national football team is fantastic, and the same goes for basketball and other squads. The names of Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha made European football popular in this country, so the fans are crazy about the English Premier League. Apart from watching, Nigerians also enjoy betting on sports.
This guide is the perfect place if you are looking for the best online betting site in Nigeria. Our experts analyzed factors like credibility, wagering options, and supported markets to identify the top bookmakers in the country.
Check out the top-10 online betting sites in Nigeria:
If online betting sites are illegal in a specific location, you have to use VPN to bypass those restrictions. These networks allow you to access foreign sites without limitations and play there. Fortunately, that’s not something you should worry about in Nigeria.
Betting in land-based and online facilities is legal in Nigeria. That means you can place wagers without worrying if you are breaking any law. It’s worth noting that Nigeria has two licensing bodies. Those are Lagos State Lottery Board and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. These issue renewable licenses to all bookmakers who want to do their job legally.
For players, it’s essential to stick to licensed betting sites. That confirms the platforms do their business legitimately. It’s a mechanism of protection that keeps you safe and guarantees payments if you win.
Here is more good news - bettors don’t have to pay any taxes. Taxes apply to online gaming providers, and they have to pay them regularly to receive their licenses.
The best online betting sites in Nigeria offer to bet on different sports. Football betting sites, perhaps, get the most attention. Although most players stick to football and basketball, you’ll find a variety of sports covered. You can wager on athletics, boxing, MMA, UFC, handball, volleyball, racing, and even darts and golf. The actual selection depends on the provider chosen, but you’ll undoubtedly have thousands of events to bet on every day.
Most providers accept the local currency for placing wagers. Online bookmakers work around the clock, which means you can place bets 24/7. That includes in-play betting on events that are currently in progress.
A similar time zone to those in Europe might be why European competitions are most popular in Nigeria. Many bettors look for the most reputable football betting sites to try their luck. The English Premier League is arguably the best football competition in the world. It’s also most tempting for Nigerian bettors. However, they also place bets on La Liga, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, and even UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
Nigerian national leagues are a part of the covered betting markets at most bookmakers’ websites. On football betting sites you can bet on who will win the match for all football events or whether it will end in a draw. However, that’s only a start. Bettors also guess the final result, scorers, number of goals, corners, and yellow cards. For major events, you often have hundreds of bets available.
E-sports have taken the betting market by surprise in recent years. Younger bettors love playing video games, which is why they also like placing wagers. Nigerian bookmakers only support major world e-sports competitions for now. You can enjoy wagering on Dota 2 or League of Legends events. Some providers will even broadcast the matches live.
In sports games like FIFA, NBA 2K, or PES are also common among Nigerian bookmakers. You can also bet on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Starcraft, and many other esports competitions.
If you feel ready to place your first wager, it’s necessary to register an account with the desired betting site in Nigeria first. The process involves the following steps:
From there, you can choose any desired event and place a bet on the betting site in Nigeria. Please note you should provide valid information since most bookmakers perform identity checks. That will involve confirming your ID before withdrawing the funds or as soon as you register. The benefits of registration are also keeping track of your bets and qualifying for different bonuses.
Most platforms grant bonuses on your first deposit after registering. That bonus can be a 100% deposit match, with the limit going up to 50,000NGN. You receive these as bonus funds, which means there are wagering requirements for cashing out the sum.
Apart from the boost for new players, you can expect other promotions. Some websites will offer bonuses on accumulation bets – placing multiple matches on a single ticket. A refund if there are no goals, special odds boost on particular matches, and other promotions are common. You’ll even find competitions at some bookmakers. These tournaments involve special rules for wagering, and those who spend or earn the most in those games qualify for tempting rewards.
Loyalty programs aren’t that common, but any wagering site in Nigeria welcomes VIP players. If they recognize you as a bettor who involves large sums, you can expect unique benefits. That includes a dedicated account manager, cashback, and other deals.
Live betting is the most exciting wagering option for many players. It allows you to place a wager during a match. For example, the away team scored, but you believe in a turnaround. You can get good odds for an in-play wager at a typical betting site in Nigeria.
These bets work the same way as ante-post wagers. The only difference is that the odds change from one second to another as the bookmakers adjust them based on what happens. For major events, you don’t have to stick to predicting the winner. You can also bet on goals, exact results, or even who will score next.
A typical betting site in Nigeria has live betting as an option on their websites. Some even allow combining multiple events in progress. You’ll find live video broadcasts of many matches on bookies’ websites. If there are no video streams, you could follow audio or text commentary. Some events even come with statistics that help you understand what happens at the event better.
If you ask us, two factors affect the ease of use of a betting platform:
A typical online betting site in Nigeria usually offers a clean layout and a simple interface. You can find the desired event and place a bet in several clicks. The registration processes are pretty simple. As for the cross-platform, most have at least mobile-friendly websites. That means the platform adapts to the size of your device’s display. Also, you can use the same login credentials, which means you don’t need a separate account. Some providers even have apps to download for iOS and Android.
The depositing process takes several steps:
The deposit methods supported include credit and debit cards, mobile payments, direct bank transfers, Neteller and other e-wallets, etc. Most deposit options are free, and you have money available for betting immediately.
The withdrawals, on the other hand, can take a day or two. Some providers perform additional checks before the first withdrawal and ask for identity verification. The bookmaker and the payment service provider might charge fees for withdrawals.
If we are talking reliability, we can say that Nigerian football betting sites are trustworthy. Here’s how our team determined that:
Sports betting can be fascinating and entertaining. If you are lucky enough, it can even result in profiting from the wagers. However, it’s essential to keep your focus on having fun. That means you don’t want to risk entering an addiction problem.
Here are some tips to stay true to responsible gaming:
Many bookmakers imply responsible gaming features to make this easier for the players. They allow you to suspend your account automatically for a specific time. That’s a drastic measure, but don’t hesitate to take it if necessary. Other responsible gambling options include limiting your bet values or losses in a specific timeframe.
Bet9ja is the favorite of many Nigerian players. It offers a reliable platform that works smoothly on PCs and mobile devices. You can bet on a vast range of sports events, and there are tempting deals for loyal players.
MerryBet tries to keep its odds attractive across all events and sports. However, all bookmakers from our list have different odds. Once you pick out a match to bet on, make sure to check the odds on multiple platforms to find the best offer.
If we talk about legal online bookmakers, dozens of them are registered to do business in Nigeria. There are many more platforms that only work in land-based facilities, and some betting providers are illegal. You should steer clear of them since they might not pay your winnings. Our list offers the most reputable, the very best online betting brands in the country.
Many platforms understand that players like to watch the events they wager on, especially when placing an in-play bet. That’s why you can find streams of popular sports events on wagering sites. If there’s no video broadcast, text or audio commentary might be available.
The classic football bets are most attractive to Nigerian bettors. That includes predicting the outcomes of matches in the national league and continental European competitions and leagues like EPL, Bundesliga, and Spanish La Liga.
Best bookmakers in Nigeria
888Sport
