Nigeria online sports betting laws
Online betting on sport in Africa’s most populous country is effectively legal, and the industry is thriving as a result. Bettors in Nigeria, a country with a hearty appetite for great sport, are spoiled for choice when it comes to placing wagers on the best local, national and international events.
Is sports betting legal in Nigeria?
Yes, it is, although things are slightly complicated. With 221 million inhabitants, Nigeria has the highest population in Africa and the seventh largest in the world. Given the advances in recent years in communications and digital technology, the country has ideal growth conditions for an online betting industry – especially in a nation that absolutely loves its sport. The position over the legality of online sports betting in Nigeria is reasonably clear.
When the 1990 Criminal Code was introduced in Nigeria, it specifically ruled that all games of skill were legal – and this definition included sports betting. Further legislation followed in 2004 with the Lagos State Lottery Law and in 2005 with the National Lottery Act. Neither of these laws specifically mentioned online sports betting. Indeed, at no stage has a law been passed that either legalizes or forbids online sports betting taking place in Nigeria. This has been interpreted as meaning that people here are at liberty to wager with local or international sportsbooks.
There are now two bodies – the National Lottery Regulatory Commission and the Lagos State Lotteries Board – that have the power to issue licenses to sports betting operators. If you run a sportsbook and are awarded by either of these institutions, you are clear to begin taking bets on the best sporting action. The degree of the growth seen in the Nigerian sports betting industry has been impressive. The country now has the second largest betting market in the continent, behind only South Africa. Gross gambling revenue was recorded at $58million in 2018, with every expectation that this figure will rise significantly over the next few years.
Many of the biggest names in international bookmaking are now operating in Nigeria, with considerable success. The presence of such illustrious brands in the market place, all competing for local custom, ensures that the competition for clients is intense – and as a result there are some great welcome bonuses to be found. However, few of the offshore websites accept bets in the Nigerian naira, preferring to trade in Euros or US dollars.
At present, licensees do not have to follow any responsible gambling obligations – and there is no centrally maintained exclusion list of those who are not permitted to gamble. However, it is hoped that as the sector matures, responsible gambling measures will be introduced across Nigeria and at state level.
What odds format is used in Nigeria?
Decimal odds
The majority of online betting websites in Nigeria use decimal odds – though many modern international sportsbooks allow you to switch if you prefer to use fractionals. Decimal odds is the preferred format in much of the world, largely because it is by far the simplest expression of the probability of a given outcome. For instance, if you want to bet on the Nigeria basketball team to win their first match at a tournament, the price you see might be 2.5. This means that for every $10 you wager on the outcome, you will receive winnings of $25 if you are correct. The same bet, with the same result and winnings, would be displayed in fractional odds – which are most popular in the UK and Ireland – as 6/4. In North America, where many bettors are most familiar with moneyline odds, it would be +150. In both those instances, you have to factor in the fact that your stake will be returned as part of your winnings.
Top sports in Nigeria
Soccer
Soccer is without question the most popular sport in Nigeria. Fans across the country follow the world’s No. 1 game with incredible passion. The 20-team Nigeria Professional Football League sits at the top of the Nigeria soccer pyramid that takes in teams in every part of the nation. Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, have one of the proudest records of any side on the continent. They have won the African Nations Cup three times, clinched Olympic gold in 1996 and have gone to the FIFA World Cup finals six times, qualifying from their group three times before exiting in the Round of 16. Several Nigerians, including Nwankwo Kanu, Jay Jay Okocha and Mikel John Obi, have played club football to the highest level to increase the intensity of the fervour with which their compatriots follow the sport.
Basketball
Basketball has been a popular sport in the country since the 1950s, and its profile has been boosted in recent years by the growing global footprint of the NBA . Matches in North America always attract significant betting interest whenever they are played. The NBA’s standing in Nigeria was also lifted in recent years by the exploits of Hakeem Olajuwon. One of the greatest players of all time, he spent an 18-year career at the top level with the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. At international level, the efforts of D’Tigers and D’Tigress, the men’s and women’s teams for Nigeria basketball, always attract plenty of attention and support.
Dambe
Dambe is a traditional Nigerian form of boxing, a martial art developed by the Hausa people of the country. One arm is wrapped in rope and used as the “spear”, while the other is kept for defensive purposes as a “shield”. Dambe has grown in popularity in recent years as more people have watched the sport online, while the heightened prominence of Mixed Martial Arts has exposed new audiences to less conventional forms of fighting. Many people in Nigeria enjoy betting on Dambe, with many sportsbooks in the country now carrying bets on forthcoming bouts.
Athletics
Track-and-field athletics has always been an extremely popular sport in Nigeria, both from a participation and recreational view but also in terms of high-level competition. Nigeria has won two gold medals in athletics at the Olympics, through Chioma Ajunwa in the women’s long jump in 1996 and the men’s 4x400metres relay team four years later. Ese Brume almost followed in Ajunwa’s footprints when she took silver in the long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Betting on the major track-and-field events is allowed, and Nigeria’s long history in athletics ensures there will always be a high level of interest here.
Boxing
Conventional boxing, as opposed to Dambe, is also very popular in Nigeria and there have been professionals fighting here since the 1940s. It was for many years the biggest sport in the country, and Nigeria had three world champions: middleweight Dick Tiger from 1962-63, featherweight Hogan Bassey from 1957-59 and cruiserweight Bash Ali in 1987. Interest in the sport was revitalized in the early years of this century thanks to regular televised bouts and there are now about 300 professional fighters in Nigeria. Betting on boxing, including glamorous world-title fights in Las Vegas, will always attract an audience in Nigeria.
Nigeria sports betting FAQs
The ability to cash out a bet – to close it down and take a pay-out even before the event in question has finished – is a recent innovation for sportsbooks. There are lots of betting sites with cash out options in Nigeria if you want to lock in a profit or minimize your losses. However, some also have partial cash-out or even auto cash-out – shop around to see which suits your betting best.
The lack of any legislation outlawing online sports betting in Nigeria means that the market is now heavily populated with both local and international sportsbooks. This in turn means a great deal of choice for bettors. Look for well established operators with a reputation for treating customers fairly, as well as a wide choice of markets and good bonuses and offers.
Nigeria basketball began in the 1950s, when Walid Zabadne began to teach the game to young Nigerians at the only basketball court in the country, at the Syrian Club in Lagos. Thanks to his pioneering efforts, many Nigerians took up the sport and competed in competitions across Africa. Zabadne went on to be president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation.
The Nigerian sports betting industry has grown impressively in recent years and the gross gambling revenue for 2018 was $58million, the second biggest in the continent behind South Africa. Some analysts believe the annual betting turnover here could be as high as $2billion. These figures are projected to keep rising sharply over the coming years.
Soccer is by some considerable distance the biggest sport in Nigeria. For locals Nigeria soccer is a big deal, where there is a thriving league scene, and on the international stage, where the Super Eagles are one of the best teams in Africa. The exploits of Nigerians in the big European leagues also help to keep the sport’s profile extremely high.