Learn how to bet on sports in Nigeria legally in a safe, fun, and responsible manner.
On this page, you will find step-by-step guides about everything related to gambling legally in Nigeria, using safe and trusted online Nigerian betting sites.
Compare our list of the best online sports betting sites for players from Nigeria on BettingGuide. We list and compare the sports available, the number of betting markets, and the odds for both pre-match and in-play markets on popular sports such as football, boxing, and basketball.
Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Nigeria?
Online sports betting in Nigeria is regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, with betting, bingo, online casino, lotteries, fantasy sports, and online poker all legal in the country.
But, there are also state licences such as the Lagos State Lotteries Board and the Oyo State Gaming Board. You will find plenty of licensed and legal betting sites in Nigeria such as Bet9ja, Betway, and Nairabet to name a few.
The gambling age is defined by law, and people below the age of 18 cannot legally gamble. There are currently no payment restrictions when depositing or withdrawing money to foreign or local bookmakers, and players from Nigeria can choose from a wide range of payment methods. But, not all offshore betting sites accept Nigerian Naira, so we recommend sticking to the bookmakers that accept Nigerian Naira to avoid fees.
We recommend only licensed, trusted, and safe gambling sites for Nigerian customers with our impartial and honest reviews of sportsbooks and online casinos to help our users make smart and informed decisions.
Our experts with years of experience in the online gambling industry, provide the most detailed guides and reviews for gambling legally in Nigeria.
We only list and review gambling sites with active licenses by national authorities such as the Lagos State Lotteries Board, the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, or international licences such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
It goes without saying that safety and security at Nigerian betting sites is one of the most important things to think about when considering which bookmaker to trust with your money.
Safety and security also tie in with licensing. Make sure that the site you are thinking about joining is licensed to operate in a respectable jurisdiction by checking out our reviews.
If an online betting site is not trusted in Nigeria, it is highly unlikely to be a success. It might be worth asking friends and family for personal recommendations of bookmakers too. Finding out how trusted betting sites are in our real player reviews, and it is also possible with a simple internet search.
On BettingGuide, we offer exclusive sign up offers through our partnership with bookmakers and casinos. We display the important terms and conditions and provide step by step guides for how to claim each signup bonus.
Sign up offers might persuade you to join a Nigerian betting site for the first time. But once they have got you as a customer, are they going to reward your loyalty?
Some betting sites in Nigeria have a VIP program for this reason. Others have regular bonuses and promotions available for their customers to use.
Keep in mind these bonuses are offered for one reason alone - to make you keep playing. That does not mean that they are never worth using, it is just something to remember at all times.
Cashback rewards are a good example that should be treated with a degree of caution. While it might seem good to get some money back from the bookmaker, this only happens if you lose.
All of the betting sites in our list offer secure banking for deposits and withdrawals, and a wide variety of payment methods. These range from debit & credit cards to direct bank transfers, ATM deposits, and more.
We also rate and compare how long it takes betting sites to deposit and withdraw money, then rank the fastest paying bet sites in Nigeria and which payment methods to use to ensure the quickest withdrawal times.
We only list bookmakers that offer customer support with several forms of contact. Most will offer a live chat, email, phone number, and an FAQ section.
Sports Available, Betting Markets & Betting Odds
You will find a full list of sports available in each of our sportsbook reviews, and we also compare the best betting sites for several popular sports such as football, cricket, and horse racing.
After checking the sports available, we look to see how many betting markets they offer both pre-match and in-play. Also, we regularly test the betting margins to see which bookmakers offer the highest odds across several different sports.
We test and compare the best betting apps and mobile optimised sites available for Nigerian customers. If you are betting on mobile, be sure to check out our list of the best betting apps available in Nigeria.
In our betting apps comparisons, we list the pros and cons for each app and step-by-step guides for installing each app on both Android and iOS devices.
Compare the best Nigerian football betting sites that offer high betting odds, live streaming, soccer promotions, massive jackpots, virtual soccer betting and more.
Find the best online cricket betting sites that offer the highest odds, cricket promotions and a wide range of cricket games throughout the world. bet365 and Betway are the two best online cricket betting sites, and they also offer fantastic products for football and horse racing betting.
James is responsible for the Nigerian market on BettingGuide. He has a keen interest in sports betting and Gambling laws in particular. James is a Lawyer practising in East Africa, loves writing, and has a Law Degree from Makerere University, Uganda and a Post Graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law, Kenya.