Online Gambling in Nigeria: The Best Gambling Sites for 2024

The Top Recommended Nigerian Online Gambling Sites

Nigeria is now home to the largest gambling market in Africa, with millions of players across the country engaged in online casinos, sports betting, poker and more. This is why we’ve created this custom guide to help you find the best, safest, and fairest Nigerian gambling sites.

Here are our top site Nigerian gambling recommendations for 2024:

Jessica Whitehouse, Editor at online-gambling.com

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Jessica Whitehouse is among the professional online-gambling.com editors in charge of ensuring that our readers get the best and most reliable news and details from the online gambling world. Her focus is on blackjack and roulette reviews, lottery, and more.

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Types of Legal Gambling Activities in Nigeria

Nigeria’s gambling industry is extremely open, and there is not much that Nigerian players can’t gamble on. Although land-based casino gambling and sportsbooks are legal, most gamblers in Nigeria tend to prefer gambling online. Available legal online gaming options include slots and table games gambling at online casinos, sports betting, poker, the lottery, and daily fantasy sports.

Online Casino Gaming in Nigeria

Online casinos are websites that host digital versions of land-based casino games such as slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, and baccarat, among many other games. This kind of gambling is extremely popular in Nigeria, and as local laws don’t prohibit players from signing up to foreign gambling sites, the casino options are endless. There are many top international casino sites that accept Nigerian players, and the best even accept Nigerian naira. Slots tend to be the most favored casino games due to their extreme versatility, and many software developers have created Nigeria-themed games to appeal to local players. Below, we’ve recommended the top-quality online casino in Nigeria and its welcome bonus to new customers.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is without a doubt the most popular online gambling activity in the country. Recent statistics have indicated that around 60 million people in Nigeria wager on sports regularly, which is roughly one-third of the country’s population. As the most popular sport in the country, football brings in the most betting revenues. Our top gambling sites are renowned for offering the most competitive football odds and a diverse selection of international leagues to wager on all-year round. If you’re looking for a site that also offers world-class features such as live streaming and live betting, then we recommend you bet with our recommended sports betting site below.

Daily Fantasy Sports Sites

Although Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) competitions aren’t as popular as sports betting quite yet, the past two years have seen a growing interest among Nigerian players looking for a fresh approach to wagering on sports. The rules to DFS are fairly straight-forward. Contestants pay a small fee to enter a playing pool. Each contestant must draft a lineup of players from any team in a sports league, such as during the football World Cup, and points are earned based on the real-life performance of their chosen players that week. The contestants with the highest scores win from the entrance pool. These competitions may require plenty of research and dedication, but they provide hours of excitement for passionate sports-lovers. For the website with the best DFS competitions and bonuses, join our top DFS site below.

Online Poker

Admittedly, online poker isn’t a particularly popular online gambling game in Nigeria. That being said, this doesn’t mean that poker lovers are deprived of some top-quality online poker options. Players looking to try their hand at this exciting game of skill have a number of online poker platforms to choose from, with several reputable high-payout sites catering to the Nigerian poker community. The most popular games on these sites tend to be Omaha, Stud and of course, Texas Hold’em. There are a variety of rooms and buy-ins to appeal to different experience levels and budgets. The best online poker sites even host tournaments that offer huge prize pools for winners. So whether you’re an amateur or seasoned poker pro, play at the best online poker site in Nigeria with our bonus offered below.

Online Lottery

The National Lottery in Nigeria was first introduced in 2005, and since then Nigerians have gained a big appetite for these frequent draw games and scratch cards. However, some players might want to try their luck with even bigger jackpots. To do this, players can buy lottery tickets to international draw games through trustworthy lottery sites. Whether it’s the US Mega Millions jackpot — a lottery so large the prize pool has exceeded $1 billion USD — or the high-payout rate French lotto, you will have plenty of opportunities to play at our recommended online lottery site. You can even play scratch-cards or bingo if that interests you. So if you’re interested, claim the welcome bonus for our top lottery site.

Our Guide to Spotting the Best Nigerian Gambling Sites

At this stage, you may be tempted to make your final decision about which site is right for you. While we understand your excitement, we suggest that you peruse these upcoming sections, where we will explain how we determined the best Nigerian gambling. We’ve covered topics such as how to verify a website’s safety, why you need to first review the casino’s games catalogue, and what bonuses you should look out for. With these topics and many more, you can learn how to find the best sites for yourself, and potentially avoid spending time and money with an untrustworthy or low-quality site.

Licencing: A Sign of Safety and Security

It is not against the law for Nigerians to gamble with offshore sites. While this does mean local players have plenty more options to choose from, the downside is that it may expose players to scam websites that haven’t been authorized by a major regulator. For this reason, we suggest that Nigerian players only gamble at sites that are licensed by a respected regulator such as the MGA or UKGC. Licensing ensures that websites are only offering fair games, will payout your winnings on time, will implement a responsible gaming policy, and connect your financial information through encryption technology. Below are several organizations that cooperate with online gambling sites in Nigeria to create a safe, secure, and fair gaming environment.

Checking the Games Catalogue and Betting Options

Before you sign up to any gambling website, take the time to check the quality of its gambling products. For different categories of site, there are different minimum standards that must be upheld to indicate that the site is worthy of signing up to. With so many reputable gambling site options to choose from, there is no need to settle for a bad site. For example, if you’re seeking an online casino, make sure that the site includes a wide selection of games from software developers with strong reputations.

If you’re looking for a new sports betting site, make sure that it offers a variety of popular sports markets, and that its odds are competitive with other top online sportsbooks. Poker players will want to ensure that they’re signing up to a site with a variety of buy-in options, rooms and tournaments. Don’t be lured to a new site solely because of the bonus — it won’t be worth anything if the gambling products are no good.

Most Popular Real Money Online Casino Games

While most online gamblers tend to be drawn to sports betting in Nigeria, online casinos also provide plenty of excitement. The most popular casino games among Nigerian players are slots. Slots are a favourite because of their boundless variations in designs, aesthetics, payout systems, and betting options. It’s common for popular TV shows and movies to be adapted into slots, and there are even several slot franchises that have earned loyal followings. If you want to try casino games with higher odds to win, we recommend table games such as blackjack or roulette. Below, we’ve listed some popular casino games and their average return-to-player rates.

Best Nigerian New Player Gambling Bonuses

If you’ve been comparing gambling sites for a while, you’ll be well aware of the new player bonus. Essentially, these promotions are offered to new customers so that players can have an enjoyable start to their visit. These come in many different shapes and sizes depending on the kind of site you wish to join. For online casinos, it’s common that bonus funds or free slot spins are awarded after your first deposits. Sports books frequently offer free bets, bonus funds, or risk-free first bets. Some sites may even award bonuses without a deposit needing to be made at all. Best of all, our top gambling sites award bonuses in Nigerian Naira! See below for our top recommended Nigerian bonuses and their terms.

Average Payout Rates

Fairness is an essential feature that gambling sites must offer. There’s already enough risk involved with making a bet, so why wager with a site that is extra unfair? Reputable gambling sites will have the fairness of their games regularly reviewed and verified by independent testing laboratories such as iTech Labs or eCOGRA to ensure that their games aren’t manipulated or less fair than advertised. These companies will certify the average payout rates of gambling sites once the tests are complete. These represent the average return to player rates of all the gaming products on the site, so the higher this figure, the better. You can find some of these verified payout rates of Nigeria’s top gambling sites below.

Accepted Payment Methods

One sign of a trustworthy site is the kind of payment methods that it accepts for gambling deposits and withdrawals. In our expert opinion, sites should accept a range of trusted providers that have reputations for security, such as Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal. There are several reasons why this is important. Firstly, different payment methods have different withdrawal times, which can range anywhere between one day and ten days. Some providers may also charge transaction fees, which may be worth it to some for the convenience but may be considered unnecessary by others. Common payment methods that we like to see are e-Wallets, credit cards and bank transfers.

1. e-Wallets:
   1. PayPal
   2. Neteller
   3. ecoPayz
2. Credit/Debit Cards:
   1. Mastercard
   2. VISA
3. Bank Transfers:
   1. UBA Instant Banking
   2. Bank Transfer
   3. Wire Transfer
4. Other:
   1. Bitcoin
   2. PayCom
   3. Verve
   4. Apple Pay

Mobile Gaming Platforms

Mobile access has become an integral part of gambling in Nigeria, and it is believed that the explosion in gambling interest in Nigeria has been closely linked to the rise in mobile phone use. For Nigerians, more than most other gamblers, finding an online casino with a reliable mobile app is essential. The best mobile apps should be easy-to-navigate, fast, and complete with the same gambling products and features that are available on desktop versions. As most Nigerians use iOS or Android devices, they should also be compatible with these operating systems. Our intensive testing and research have found that the following apps are the best for gambling in Nigeria.

Stable, Reputable, and High-Quality Gambling Software

Good gambling operators know that in order to provide a great gaming experience, they need to offer their players the best games and platforms. The primary way to do this is by stocking their libraries and building their platforms with the best gambling software. If you take a close look, you’ll notice that the best casinos will always offer games by providers such as Playtech, NetEnt, Microgaming and Evolution Gaming. Sites such as sportsbooks and online poker will use top software to power their entire interface so that users will be able to navigate through gambling options without any technical issues. Fast, secure, fair, and reliable software is essential for a top gambling site.

Nigerian Gambling Laws & Regulations

Nigeria’s gambling laws are outlined in the National Lottery Act of 2005. While the primary focus of the act was to establish a national lottery and a regulator to govern it, the language of the law was broad enough to encompass all forms of gambling. However, while the law is quite clear on the legality of land-based gaming, Nigeria’s laws have not yet addressed the online gambling market. For this reason, unauthorized online gambling exists in a legal grey area. Regardless, online gambling is treated as being legal in the country, with foreign operators free to accept Nigerian players without any legal repercussions.

The Legality of Online Gambling in Nigeria

Although there are insufficient laws that cover the activities, online gambling is treated as though legal by Nigerian enforcement. Although that means an open and unrestricted online market, there are negative effects of this oversight, such as a lack of standards on gambling site fairness and resources for those struggling with problem gambling.

Nigerian Land-Based Gambling

The Lottery Act defines clearly which land-based gambling games are legal and those that are not. Legal games include the lottery, casino games such as slots, blackjack, roulette, craps and poker. Land-based sports betting at authorized retailers is also legal. While locals are also free to wager on activities such as horse and dog racing, there are no racetracks in Nigeria. Nigeria’s land-based sports betting industry is by no means as established as the online gambling market, though many players choose to wager at popular land-based retailer BetLand, which uses world-class SBTech technology to power its platform.

Regional Gambling Laws

There are 36 states in Nigeria, and although each must act according to the Constitution, each region can license gambling operators. When an operator seeks a license to operate in Nigeria, it must first be approved a national license by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. If it then wants to operate in a particular state, it must then be granted a regional license. Most states have a Lottery Board that regulate the industry or do so through their internal revenue boards. Regardless, all forms of gambling that are legal at the national level must stay legal throughout all semi-autonomous regions.

Official Regulatory Bodies

Nigeria’s primary gambling regulator, the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, was established by the National Lottery Act of 2005. Its initial purpose was to regulate the national lottery but has since grown to regulate the national gaming industry. Several of its obligations include licensing land-based and online gaming operators, enforcing gaming laws, and creating a safer environment for players. There are also many smaller state lottery boards to regulate gaming activities in their jurisdictions. For example, the Lagos State Lotteries board regulates everything from online sports betting and casinos to slot machines.

Is Online Gambling Taxed in Nigeria?

Gambling operators must pay tax at a national and state level in Nigeria. At the national level, licensed operators must pay 20 per cent taxes on gross gaming revenues. If they operate in certain states, they must pay an additional percentage of taxes from revenues generated within the region. For example, in Lagos, this amount is 2.5 per cent of gross gaming revenues. Gamblers must also pay taxes on winnings, which are to be declared as income with the tax department.

Legal Gambling Age

Players in Nigeria must be over 18 years old to gamble. This age requirement applies land-based and online casino gambling, whether that be sports betting, poker, the lottery and daily fantasy sports, or on casino games such as slots, roulette and blackjack. It is a legal requirement for online gambling sites to verify players’ ages when they sign up in order to curb underage gambling. This may require providing photographic identification, so be sure to have copies of your ID ready when you join.

Advertising Laws

One of the biggest downsides to Nigeria’s largely unregulated online gambling market is that there are relatively few restrictions when it comes to responsible gambling marketing. In fact, there are no sections within the Lottery Act that outline advertising restrictions, so operators are free to market on social media platforms, TV, and radio at all hours, and use local celebrities for website endorsements. References to responsible marketing practises are vague, and it appears that there are a few guidelines that marketers need to adhere to. The fact that there are a lot of inconsistencies between Nigeria’s regional regulators has made it even more difficult for national advertising standards to be established.

Penalties for Illegal Gambling

Rather than imposing specific penalties for different gambling crimes, the Lottery Act lists a number of provisions that must be upheld, and broad penalties that will be handed out if they are contravened. Types of transgressions include providing games without licensing or authorization, fraud, facilitating underage gambling and selling forged lottery tickets. There are different penalties based on whether an individual or a body corporate is responsible for the crime. Below, we’ve listed some common crimes and their penalties according to the Nigerian Lottery Act.

Announced Changes to Gambling Regulations

Nigeria has announced two major changes to the gambling industry that it intends to implement in 2021. The first of these is the plan to introduce a 7.5 per cent value-added tax to sports bets. Under the current plan, bettors will be responsible for footing this extra payment. This is a matter that is still being contested by major stakeholders such as the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission has also announced a new plan to tackle underage gambling, including enhanced rules to ensure operators verify players’ ages. Additionally, the Lago Lottery Board is proposing that operators are to pay fees of N200 million in an attempt to prevent fraudulent companies from entering the market.

Responsible Gambling Programs in Nigeria

As the gambling market grows in Nigeria, there have been major concerns about the current infrastructure to deal with the rise in problem gambling. There are no major Nigerian responsible gambling organizations helping to address the issue at the moment, and policies to enforce facilitating player limits and self-exclusion are non-existent. Fortunately, there are several international responsible gambling organizations that cater to Nigerian players who wish to get their gambling habits under control. Several of these have cooperated with our recommended gambling sites to ensure that safer gaming environments are created. The following are reputable organizations that are available around the clock for gamblers and their loved ones who are seeking judgment-free support for problem gambling.

Interesting Facts About the Nigerian Gambling Industry

It is estimated that there are roughly 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 who frequently bet on sports, with approximately $2 billion USD spent a year on sports bets. The large youth betting figures can partly be attributed to the fact that the median age in Nigeria is 19.4 years old (the median age in the OECD is 42 per cent) as well as the explosion of mobile phone use in the past decade. The largest sports bettors take in upwards of $20 million USD per month in profits, and the market has doubled in size since 2014.

History of Nigerian Gambling

Since the beginning of Nigeria’s history as a post-British republic, gambling laws have been addressed in one way or another. A special law dedicated to taxing the country’s casinos was passed in 1965, five years after Nigeria declared independence. Over the following decades, gambling existed in a mostly-unregulated grey area. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the government took steps to define the legality of gambling activities. The early 2000s saw more major leaps forward in Nigeria’s gaming legislation, as Lagos spearheaded a push to establish its own gambling laws. Although much of the online market is still regulated, lawmakers are slowly but surely adapting to the swelling market.

Popular Land-Based Casinos

There are only three land-based casinos in Nigeria, all of which are located in hotels. They vary greatly in terms of size in offerings, with the largest and most luxurious of all being the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino in Lagos, Victoria Island. The gaming room includes more than 140 slot machines and 10 table games including roulette. There are also a number of dining options as well as a cocktail bar. Other popular high-quality gaming resorts include the Eko Hotel and Casino in Lagos and the Transcorp Hilton Casino in Abuja.

Online Gambling vs Land-Based Gambling in Nigeria

After our extensive research, we’ve concluded that online gambling is better than land-based gambling in Nigeria, simply because there are so many more options. There is no way that Nigeria’s land-based casinos could cater to the huge market of Nigerian online casino players. In particular, sports sites have a huge variety in betting markets that land-based parlours can’t compete with. On top of this, Nigeria’s best gambling sites will frequently offer promotions to loyal players. That being said, Nigeria’s land-based casinos do provide an elegant and exciting gaming experience, so we recommend checking them out from time to time if you have the chance for the atmosphere alone.

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