Tribune
Sports betting has been taking the African continent by storm in recent years. With the proliferation of online betting sites, it appears that punters all around Africa have the opportunity to back their favourite teams and place bets on international matches and tournaments.
Nowhere in Africa is the sports betting culture more pronounced than in Nigeria. It’s estimated that approximately 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 are involved in sports betting. The market is valued at around US$ 2 billion, with that figure only expected to grow.
The most notable sports betting sites in Nigeria include Bet9ja, Naijabet, and BetBonanza, but there are a vast array of sites available to punters in every region of the country. With Nigerian sports betting riding the crest of a wave, we look at how they have seemingly taken inspiration from their UK counterparts to provide an awesome online betting experience to their customers.
Regulatory bodies.
It would be fair to say that the UK has pioneered betting regulation in recent times, with the passing of the Gambling Act and the formation of the UK Gambling Commission. This gives punters peace of mind and indicates that should anything go wrong; they can lodge a complaint with a verified body.
It seems that Nigeria also takes betting regulation seriously. With the establishment of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in 2005 and the passing of the National Lottery Act in the same year, the Nigerian government moved to ensure sports betting sites were held to account. Players can check that an online site is registered with the commission before signing up.
Great value on a range of sports.
UK betting sites offer punters excellent value on a great range of mainstream and niche sports. While the big markets like the English Premier League and various horse racing festivals gain the most attention, customers can also bet on lesser watched and enjoyed sports like trotting, taekwondo, and pool, if they so wish.
Although not necessarily as wide-ranging as in the UK, Nigerian betting sites present their customers with the opportunity to place bets on a whole host of international sports and betting markets. The Nigerian domestic football league in particular, however, is a huge market for Nigerian punters.
Bet in-play options.
When in-play betting options first arrived in the UK, it revolutionised the way in which people could bet on their favoured sports and increased the bottom line of bookmakers. Most Nigerian betting sites offer in-play markets for different sports. Nairabet notes that in-play markets on English Premier League football, as well as domestic games, is exceedingly popular with punters.
Various deposit and withdrawal options.
In recent times, betting sites in the UK have added a huge range of deposit and withdrawal options like PayPalfor their customers. This is an attempt to make it as easy as possible for people to sign up and bet, but also to provide customers with relative anonymity and to protect their identities if they so wish. Some sites even permit deposits to be made in cryptocurrency.
While the latter might not be available in Nigeria yet, betting sites are trying to offer as many payment options as possible to their customers. The most common payment method in Nigeria is a debit card, but they also support payments made with e-wallets like Skrill and Paycom. It stands to reason that the more payment options you provide, the more customers you will attract.
Mobile apps.
All major UK betting sites have a fully integrated, downloadable app that is available on both Android and iOS. Mobile betting accounts for a huge proportion of the UK market, and bookmakers quickly realised the importance of creating comprehensive apps that would appeal to their customers.
The same is true in Nigeria, with all of the major sites hosting apps that can be downloaded across the 36 regions. And with connectivity being improved across the country, particularly in rural areas, Nigerian betting sites will likely see a sharp increase in their customer numbers in the near future.
Closing thoughts.
Online betting is huge business in Nigeria, just like it is in the UK. It seems that Nigerian bookmakers have taken motivation from their UK counterparts and replicated many of the key features and techniques employed by companies like William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Bet365 to attract as many clients as possible. In a sporting mad nation, it’s little surprise to learn that betting is so popular, and it seems that the Nigerian bookmakers have the online market well and truly covered.
This story first appeared in Tribune
