Most Popular Sports Among Nigerian Bettors
A lot of bettors out there don’t branch out to a lot of different sports – and that’s fine. However, if you only intend to bet on, say, football, you don’t care about what a Nigerian betting site offers in terms of tennis markets. If this applies to you, let’s look at some of the best online sportsbooks in Nigeria for specific sports.
According to our research, the most popular options among Nigerian punters are football and basketball, and boxing.
The best football betting site in Nigeria
1xBet Africa. Football is more than just a sport in Nigeria – it’s a way of life. The same can be said for a lot of countries around the world, and 1xBet recognises this fact. As such, they boast some of the lowest margins for football betting odds in Nigeria, generally below 2%. If you also take into account their excellent coverage of almost all football leagues on the planet, it would be very hard to find a better betting site for football.
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The best basketball betting site in Nigeria
Bet365 Africa. Basketball generally has worse odds than football across most Nigerian betting platforms – but not with Bet365. Their margin of 2.9% is far below most of the competition. Additionally, the selection of different leagues and markets with Bet365 is almost legendary. In-play basketball betting, live streaming of basketball events… What more could you ask for?
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The best Nigerian sportsbook for boxing
Bet9ja. Nigeria has a proud tradition as the home of some of the greatest boxers in the sport’s history, so it makes sense that this local betting site is your best option.
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History of Sports Betting in Nigeria
The information regarding how sports betting was popularized across Nigeria is cloudy at best. We can safely say that it was around for much longer than the internet. However, reliable statistics have only become available in recent years. And these same few years were marked by a veritable explosion of online gambling across the country (and the whole of Africa, for that matter.)
Don’t get us wrong, the rapid expansion of internet gambling was felt throughout the world. Sports betting profits for international betting companies have doubled since 2001, which is the same time online sportsbooks started popping up. They only came to Nigeria in 2007; however, by 2014, over 60 million Nigerians were making bets every day, resulting in a daily turnover of more than ₦2 billion.
For better or worse, a large part of what made fertile soil for online bookies in Nigeria is the poorly-defined, often unclear legislation. For instance, it allowed large international bookmaking firms to operate without paying tax or being restricted. Be that as it may, everything seems to point to the fact that betting in Nigeria will grow even further. For instance, a lot of online wagering was being hampered by bad internet connectivity. As the supporting infrastructure is improved, effectively wagering online in Nigeria will be more viable to a growing number of people.
Complete list of Bookmakers in Nigeria
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Great betting site in Nigeria
bet365 Nigeria: Millions of betting fans call this bookie the best in the world, and there’s a lot of arguments to support that. It is without a doubt one of the best Nigerian betting sites, providing a comprehensive sportsbook offer that does not disappoint on any front.
1xbet Nigeria: This Russian-based bookie has been taking the world by storm. They’re already one of the biggest names among European punters and are quickly growing in influence in Africa and South America. Their offer is all-round incredible, and bettors across the globe were quickly able to recognize this fact.
22bet Nigeria: 22Bet is another bookie which has been working hard on bringing more and more customers their world-class online gambling service. Overall, we’d say 22Bet is a “safe” choice no matter what you’re looking for – they do not excel in one particular category, but there are very few disadvantages to joining this online sportsbook in Nigeria.
888sport Nigeria: Due to the sleek design choices and quality betting offers, 888Sport is currently the fastest growing online betting platform in the world. 888Sport is all about freedom of choice when it comes to sports betting and is a fan-favourite among Nigerian betting companies.
Bet9ja Nigeria: The is a fully Nigerian betting company that is probably immediately recognisable to most of you. Bet9ja is a powerhouse on the African gambling market and boasts one of the most complete and competitive sportsbooks in the entire continent.
Betwinner Nigeria: One of the several new betting sites in Nigeria, Betwinner is fighting hard to win over as many potential customers as possible through innovation. They have one of the most technologically advanced betting platforms in Nigeria, with unique features you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
bwin Nigeria: One of the most respected names in the worldwide gambling industry, Bwin has been around for decades and is not going anywhere any time soon. Trustworthy, reliable, and generally outstanding, Bwin can be safely recommended to almost anyone.
Online Sports Betting in Nigeria: Tax and Legal Terms
So, what makes gambling laws in Nigeria so poorly defined? And how does that affect the average consumer?
Gambling is mostly regulated by Chapter 22 of the 1990 Criminal Code Act. According to this piece of legislation, all gambling in Nigeria is split into legal and illegal activities. Lottery (supported by the National Lottery act of 2005), casinos, and sports betting all fall into the legal category. On the other hand, roulette, dice games, and “non-skilled” card games are all considered illegal, no matter the circumstances.
You can probably already see what a poor job this act does at separating legal gambling activities from illegal ones. Furthermore, most of the regulations were enacted more than a decade before internet gambling showed up.
Still, all gambling operators must be licenced by the government to operate within the law. While, in theory, this also applies to online bookies and casinos, the law is simply too outdated to properly apply. Which brings us to the next issue, which would be the enforcement of these laws. According to regulations, unlicenced betting operators should be penalized, and even those who use them are subject to a small fee of around 40 Naira.
In reality, though, no-one was ever forced to pay such a fee. Both players and bookmakers care very little about licencing issues because the authorities care even less. As such, it matters very little whether you’re dealing with a licenced Nigerian bookmaker or not. While this is worrisome in terms of bookies being allowed to run rampant without paying any taxes, it ultimately allows Nigerian punters unlimited choices when it comes to which sportsbook they want to use. Most of the country’s betting scene relies on offshore bookmakers.
If you want to stick to the law anyway, you still have options such as Bet9ja, which is a fully licenced Nigerian sportsbook. Beyond that, you must be over the age of 18.
Deposit and Withdrawal options at Nigerian sportsbooks
Another advantage Nigerian punters have is the fact that there are zero restrictions when it comes to depositing or withdrawing money to foreign or local bookies. By that, we mean that there are no legal restrictions, no fees or taxes for sending money abroad, and no service blocking. This allows Nigerian bettors to use card payments for all their betting needs, which is a luxury some African residents do not have.
Another piece of good news is that Neteller and Skrill, tow very common payment methods among betting sites, recently started accepting Nigerian customers. This further broadens your options when it comes to payment options on Nigerian betting sites.
Other popular methods include Paysafecard, formerly known as UKash.
For a long time, Airtel was by far the most practical payment method for Nigerian customers and remains favoured by a lot of users. While the selection is significantly broader these days, Airtel remains very popular. Thankfully, many top-ranked Nigerian bookmakers accept Airtel payments, including 22Bet, 1xBet, and Betwinner.
Best Betting Site in Nigeria
If we were to choose just one bookmaker that operates in Nigeria that would be, hands down, 1xbet Nigeria.
most popular destinations for the world’s top bookmakers. As a result, online bookmakers in Nigeria have to deal with a lot of competition. If you’re looking to get into internet wagers, that’s great news. The standards are constantly being raised, causing Nigerian betting sites to work hard to attract more customers.
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