Rating of the best sportsbooks in Nigeria

Over the course of the last decade, African countries are breaking the stereotypes about having limited resources in the country and lagging behind other countries in the world. Nigeria is not an exception, with its betting and gambling entertainment surging. More than 80 per cent of the country’s population have access to smartphones and mobile Internet, which contributes to betting becoming more popular and accessible there.

Nigerian legislation does not regulate the activities of casinos on the Internet. Also, local providers do not limit the access of traders to Nigerian or foreign bookmaker sites. Therefore, companies that operate in the online format must comply with the norms and laws that apply to land-based casinos.

If you are willing to bet in Nigeria and are looking for a reliable bookmaker, check out this review. The best bookmaking companies are included in the ratings compiled by the experts of our portal. All of the sportsbooks on our list are licensed, which means that they adhere to the rules of the law and the principles of responsible gaming, offer customers a variety of betting markets and high odds.

Important! The reviews posted on our portal are informative and unbiased. We do not receive any perks from bookmakers and provide information impartially and objectively. The purpose of the review is to inform users on the offers of Nigerian legal bookmakers and to give recommendations for safe betting.

How do we compile the rating of top sportsbooks in Nigeria

To compile a high-quality and objective rating, our portal experts need to analyze a large number of indicators. They study the site in general and its features, check the legality of the company, available payment methods and incentives. The user experience is another significant factor that we take into account when putting together the rating. The site’s analysts analyze the reviews of the bookmaker’s customers and communicate with the support service. In order for a bookmaker to be included in our review, it must meet the following criteria:

1. Legality. Availability of a national or at least an international license guarantees that the office works in the legal field, pays taxes, follows the rules of responsible gaming, does not tolerate money laundering and other fraudulent activities.
2. A large selection of betting disciplines. The best bookmakers in Nigeria offer no less than 20 sports disciplines to bet on. This ensures that the bettor will easily find a tournament of interest. It is a good sign if the bookmaker broadcasts matches and fights, offers bets on e-sports tournaments, because this fuels the curiosity of the audience and expands the possibilities of users.
3. Odds. High multipliers for different results are always nice to see, but it is worth remembering that any bookmaker has a margin – a percentage of profit that the company will receive regardless of the result. The easiest way to track the margin amount is in events with equal odds – two teams will never have x2 odds. If the bookmaker sets the margin too low or completely ignores it, this is an alarm signal.
4. Convenient interface. The navigation on the site of a reliable bookmaker from Nigeria should be intuitive for most users. This means that they should effortlessly find not only betting sports and slots, but also terms and conditions, bonus information and more. The mobile version of the site should easily adapt to the diagonal of the smartphone screen, ensure fast and smooth operation.

When choosing a reliable bookmaker in Nigeria, always pay attention to its bonus policy. Usually, information about incentives for regular customers and newcomers is located in a special section on the website or in the application. Before you register on the company’s website, analyze what bonuses it offers and the terms of withdrawal. The best bookmakers in the country, along with deposit incentives, provide customers with no-deposit bonuses, for example, on the occasion of a player’s birthday.

How to choose a sportsbook: recommendations from experts

When choosing a sportsbook to play with, most Nigerian bettors pay attention to the fact that the bookmaker offers betting on the sports and top competitions that interest them. In fact, this alone is not enough. Our portal’s experts have developed a number of tips that will help you avoid fraudsters and ensure the reliability of the bookmaker. In addition to having a license, it is important that the bookmaker possesses the following characteristics:

• Variety of bet types. A reliable bookmaker should offer a wide range of options for betting on sports events. The more betting options a bookmaker offers, the more attractive it is to Nigerian players;
• A wide selection of payment methods. Bookmakers usually offer different ways to deposit and withdraw funds to make it convenient and easy for players. The most common methods among Nigerian bookmakers are credit/debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers;
• Global presence on the world and regional market. Bookmakers represented in different markets usually have more experience and knowledge, authority in the industry, offer users a wide selection of bets;
• Reputation in the industry. Before signing up with a Nigerian bookmaker website or app, do research in the betting forums, article and review sites, and social media platforms, and analyze other users’ reviews. If bettors complain that the bookmaker delays payments, charges illegal commissions or does not provide tools for self-limitation, it is definitely not worth registering on its site;
• Availability of an application for iOS and Android. The app makes the user experience more personalized, allowing you to bet or play more autonomously. In addition, it consumes less Internet traffic and does not cause overheating of the device, like the mobile version of the site. So, availability of the app is a huge advantage for Nigerian players.

Advice

The stability and experience of a bookmaker are key indicators of its reliability. Bookmakers that have been in the market for 10 years or more are likely to be reliable and have a good reputation. Of course, this does not mean that new bookmakers cannot be trusted. But a long stay on the market signals that the company is time-tested and has something to offer loyal customers.

Players’ safety and legality of the sportsbooks

If you want to play safe, be sure to pay attention to whether the company has a business license. A legal online casino provides customers with many advantages. Legal activity is indicated by the following facts:

• Presence of a license. Ideally, a permit to operate is obtained from the national regulator of Nigeria or Curaçao, Malta, etc.;
• Honors of authoritative independent organizations. These are organizations that check the integrity and legality of gambling sites. The legality of the online bookmaker is indicated by the emblem of the UK Gambling Commission in the footer or icons of similar organizations;
• Software quality control. If the bookmaker also provides casino services, you will not find games from dubious providers on its website. Also, the honesty of gaming machines is regularly checked by expert companies, for example, eCOGRA;
• Reviews of independent experts and users. Often, an idea of ​​whether a company operates legally can be gleaned from reviews on reputable betting sites and from player reviews. If the bookmaker does not pay out winnings, ignores the rules of responsible gaming or does other illegal actions, it will quickly come to light.

An interesting fact

Sports betting and gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. The lottery was legalized by the National Lottery Act of 2005. Section 22 of the Criminal Code Act, which was passed in 1990, deals with betting and gambling. It divides games into two categories: legal and illegal. Betting on sports, lotteries, and land-based casinos are legal. In contrast, roulette and craps are illegal.

How to play legally in the Nigerian sportsbooks

To choose the best bookmaker in Nigeria, users should consider a number of important indicators. Signs of a legitimate company that offers users quality services are as follows:

• Number of betting markets on results, totals, handicaps, statistics and other parameters offered by the bookmaker for each event;
• Margin, a percentage of each bet that the bookmaker receives: the higher it is, the lower the odds;
• Terms of withdrawing funds, it is important that they take no more than a few minutes, maximum – several working days;
• Availability of deposit and non-deposit bonuses, in particular, for installing the application, on the occasion of a birthday, etc.;
• Multiple channels of communication with the support service, quick resolution of disputed issues.

Editor’s opinion

The variety of fields in the line is an important indicator of the reliability of a Nigerian bookmaker. The more sports and tournaments a bookmaker includes in its betting line, the better. For example, if a bookmaker offers bets on MMA, the width of the line will depend on which tournaments and leagues it includes in this section. Some bookies are limited to top leagues like UFC, Bellator, PFL. However, top companies offer betting on less high-profile sports events as well. This proves reliability and strengthens the loyalty of new and regular customers, because they can find the event they want to bet on on the website.

The best legal sportsbooks in Nigeria

There are many reliable bookmakers operating in the Nigerian market. They are licensed, receive positive reviews from customers and unbiased analysts. To make it easier to choose a suitable bookmaker, check the information from the table.