Understanding the sports betting phenomena in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the African countries that has a robust, growing economy. One of the
major contributors to this development is the sports betting industry. Through the years, it
has evolved into a billion naira industry with millions of young and old Nigerians spending
significant amounts of money betting on their favourite football teams.4

What’s the reason behind this phenomenon? Why are Nigerians so fascinated by sports
betting, and how has it impacted the country as we know it today? Find out more about
Nigeria’s relationship with sports betting below!

The reason behind the fame

Football as the beloved sport

Of all the famous sports in the world such as basketball, baseball and cricket, football
remains the most popular among Nigerians. You won’t be able to tear away the attention of
men and women who are tuned in to live games.

Millions of avid fans around the country watch all sorts of tournaments and football league
matches including those in Europe such as Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and English
Premier League. Of course, they also support leagues where their favourite homegrown
teams participate in such as the most awaited Nigerian Premier League and the FIFA World
Cup.

Nonetheless, these sports still have their fair share of fans in the country. If you want to bet on any of these, Sportsbet.io accepts punters from Nigeria now so you can place all kinds of bets for different matches there.

Sports betting and the undeniable thrill that comes with it

While avid fans believe in the ability of the Super Eagles, the country’s favourite team, no
matter the odds, the same can’t be said for sports bettors. For this specific group of football fans, there’s no room for sentiment. If you let your emotions take control of your bets, it’s like you’ve shot yourself in the leg, as one interviewed bettor said.
Sports bettors take sports betting where they predict the outcome of a game seriously since money is involved. If you make the right decisions, you can take home more money than you’ve started with.

The irony behind sports betting in Nigeria

Despite the growth of Nigeria’s economy, there’s still a wide wealth gap among its citizens
and poverty is still rampant. However, this does not stop people from spending tons of
money on betting shops. Just like gambling, there is something tantalizing about the
possibility of winning generous amounts of money from a small penny.
According to an investigation conducted by The News Agency of Nigeria, about 60 million
Nigerians aged between 18 and 40 spend 1.8 billion nairas on sports betting on a day to day basis. With such high demand, it makes sense that more and more betting businesses are setting up shop whether online or offline.

With the growing popularity of sports betting in the country, betting businesses have been
sprouting left and right in Nigerian streets. But this development does not stop inland. In
fact, you can find dozens of betting sites on the internet catering specifically to Nigerians,
allowing bettors of all genders and legal ages to place bets wherever they are and whenever they want. For example, just recently, the fan-favourite sports betting site Sportsbet.io accepts punters from Nigeria now.

Some of the most popular online betting sites in Nigeria include Betwat, Bet9ja and
Nairabet. Each site comes with its own sweet bonuses that attract bettors to their side. But
no matter where you place your bets, the right strategy relies on your wise decision making.

The impact of sports betting in Niger society

Whether you think of sports betting as a great or bad thing doesn’t change the fact that this growing gambling industry has contributed a lot to the country’s economy. Considering that

it earns billions of nairas every day, the industry does not only make winning bettors but
also creates employment options for its citizens.