Best Betting Sites in Nigeria (2023)

Quickly compare the best Nigerian betting sites in our list above and our exclusive Nigerian Naira sign up bonuses.

All of the betting sites in our list are legal, licensed and safe for players from Nigeria, and most are domestic (located in Nigeria) while some are well known international brands such as Betway, MELbet and 1xBet.

Sports betting is among the exciting pastimes embraced by many Nigerian gambling enthusiasts. The online betting craze has seen hundreds of bettors join the sports betting industry by registering betting accounts with local and international online bookmakers.

However, most bettors might not be well-informed on the legality of online sports betting in Nigeria. New bettors may also not be able to identify the best online betting sites for their favourite sports markets.

How We Choose the Best Nigerian Betting Sites

Of course, our best Nigerian betting sites list is just our opinion, but you can be sure that each site is legal, licenced and safe for online betting from Nigeria. But, how did we pick out the best?

To start, we look at each betting site and cover six key areas which we believe make the best sports betting sites including high odds, customer support, safety, welcome bonuses and much more.

Legal, Licensed & Safe

All of the sports betting sites on BettingGuide hold valid Nigerian gambling licenses with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), or the Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB). We do not recommend gambling on betting sites that do not hold valid Nigerian gambling licenses to protect yourself and your money.

If you choose to join International betting sites, we recommend bookies that hold reputable gambling licenses from respected authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Sign Up Offers

The best Nigerian betting sites will have great welcome bonuses and free bets to attract new customers. We believe it is worthwhile trying each of the betting sites on our list, and those who want to snag a bargain will want to make sure they sign up to a site that offers excellent promotions.

All of the best Nigerian betting sites offer high-value new customer sign up offers to attract new players. It is important to take full advantage of these signup offers, as you can only claim them once (on each bookie), and they almost always offer more value than any other promotion available.

Some punters even sign up to almost every legal bookie available to take advantage of these fantastic free bet offers. But, not all signup bonuses offer good value, and it is important to learn how to spot the best and avoid the worst.

Firstly, look at the wagering requirements on the bonus, to see how much you need to wager the amount to unlock the funds for withdrawal. The best bonuses come with no wagering requirements, but some, require you to wager the bonus 10x the amount, or even more on casino bonuses.

Secondly, check to see what restrictions there are on the bonus, whether you need to deposit using a certain payment method, or if the bonus can only be used on a certain sport, market, etc.

Lastly, it is important to check if you need to enter a bonus code, and what the minimum deposit and bet amount are to qualify for the offer. Not all bonuses have these conditions, but it is crucial to check so you do not miss out on claiming the offer.

Nigerian Payment Methods

We check each betting site in our list to make sure they offer a wide range of depositing and withdrawal methods for players from Nigeria, and to make sure they do not charge for either deposits or withdrawals.

Example payment methods:

• Interswitch card deposits
• Quickteller
• Online bank transfers
• ATM deposits
• GT Bank
• Verve

To withdraw money from Nigerian betting sites, you will need to do an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) directly to the bank account of your choice. It is one of the only options that are available on most gambling sites in Nigeria, but it is simple and easy to do. All you need to do is enter your banking details and enter the amount you want to withdraw, and you should receive your money within 3 working days.

Design & Usability

The design and usability are crucial for Nigerian players as you need clean, fast and user-friendly sites for both new mobiles, old mobiles and other desktops.

The betting sites in our list offer options for all devices including old mobile sites, betting apps for new mobiles (smartphones), a mobile optimised site, and a desktop site.

We test the mobile betting apps, and mobile optimised betting websites to see which bookies offer the best mobile betting experience. Compare which Nigerian betting sites offer betting apps on Android and iOS below, and the results of our tests on our best betting apps in Nigeria page.

Sports & Betting Markets

To feature on our list of the best Nigerian betting sites, each operator will need to offer a wide range of sports and betting markets covering events from all around the world, especially for top sports such as football.

Most sports betting sites have similar markets. But those who have different sports to bet on are likely to be reviewed favourably compared to those who focus on a limited number of sports.

Tied into the above is the depth of betting available markets. For the biggest sporting events, it is now not uncommon for there to be hundreds of different bets to pick from.

Quickly compare the top 10 sports betting sites in our list above, with the number of sports available, the average number of betting markets, and whether the bookie offers free live streaming and a cash-out feature.

Betway Nigeria is our number one pick for sports betting, with 30+ sports, free live streams, full and partial cashouts, high betting odds, and hundreds of betting markets.

Highest Sports Betting Odds in Nigeria

If you are new to online betting in Nigeria, please check our betting odds guide before joining a betting site. If you are planning to regularly place bets, we recommend picking one of the sites below with the lowest betting margins. Even if the difference is small, it will make add up in the long run.

But how do we calculate which betting sites offer the highest betting odds on average? Well, you can compare the betting margins for each bookie below, for both live and pre-match markets on cricket, football and horse racing bets.

If you did not know, the betting margin is essentially how much a bookie "charges" you to place a bet. Simply put, the lower the betting margin, the higher the odds.

Below is a list of the average betting margins (our independent tests) for each Nigerian bookie and there is a big difference from the best to the worst. MELbet Nigeria currently has the lowest margins in our tests and Betway Nigeria currently has the worst (highest) margins.

Nigerian Betting Sites With the Best Betting Margins

1. MELbet Nigeria margins - 2.26%
2. Konfambet margins - 2.52%
3. Nairabet margins - 2.67%
4. LionsBet margins - 3.52%
5. Betwinner Nigeria margins - 4.57%
6. Betbonanza margins - 4.67%
7. 22Bet Nigeria margins - 5.41%
8. 1xBet Nigeria margins - 5.63%
9. bet9ja margins - 5.86%
10. Wazobet margins - 5.96%
11. Betway Nigeria margins - 7.10%

Customer Support

Lastly, we check the customer support options and try to contact the support to solve a common issue such as verifying your account. The best Nigerian betting sites will offer 24/7 customer support with a variety of contact methods including a live chat, email, free phone number, social media support and more.

Unfortunately, this is not the case across all online betting sites in Nigeria, but our top betting sites all offer top-tier, 24/7 customer support with several contact methods.

Most sports betting fans are unsure about the applicable rules on land-based and online betting and casino gaming in Nigeria. If you aspire to join the exciting world of online sports betting in Nigeria, it is advisable first to understand what the law states about land-based and online betting in 2023.

Nigerian Criminal Code & Gambling Laws in Nigeria

Gambling is defined by the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, which was enacted in 1990. The Act defines the legal and illegal games that players can bet on in Nigeria. Lottery and Sportsbetting are legal games, while games of chance such as dice games, roulette and non-skilled card games are regarded as illegal. 

Consequently, operators who offer gaming services around the legally classified games must undergo scrutiny and acquire authorisation from the government. This has been the case with the three land-based casinos, the only legally operating casinos in the country. They include the Le Meridien Eko Hotel & Casino in Lagos, the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja and the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino in Lagos.

Online Betting in Nigeria is Legal

Currently, betting in Nigeria is governed by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission and the Lagos State Lottery Board. The two gambling regulatory commissions are responsible for overseeing all the gambling operations carried out in casinos, sportsbooks and lotteries in Nigeria. Any operator who wishes to offer land-based and online gambling services must therefore obtain a license from the regulatory bodies before being allowed to operate.

National Lottery Regulatory Commission

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission, established under the National Lottery Act of 2005, seeks to make gambling legal and transparent to protect the public from being exploited by rogue operators. Sportsbetting is legal and is regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, with many bookmakers being allowed to offer gaming services. However, the bookmaker must apply for a license, whether it is for offline or online betting services and provide all the necessary documents and operate within the set requirements.

Moreover, while some casino games may be prohibited when they are run by operators based within Nigeria, the law does not state whether these rules should apply for online betting and casino games provided by offshore operators. In this regard, online betting and casino gaming from offshore operators is therefore legal. 

However, before signing up at any online betting site, it is advisable to confirm if the online betting site is licensed by the relevant gambling commission from the locality that it operates from. 

Lagos State Lottery Board

With a large city like Lagos, gambling activities are bound to be among the entertainment activities for gaming enthusiasts in Nigeria. The Lagos State lottery board is tasked with the regulation and licensing of land-based casinos. The board, however, does not clearly spell out how online casinos should operate and whether it is legal or illegal to gamble online. This loophole has consequently led to the penetration of many offshore casino operators who provide gaming services to Nigerian players.

Is it Possible to Join Online Sports Betting Sites while in Nigeria?

Several top online betting sites operate inland and offshore should you require to join the Nigerian Sportsbetting industry. You can start by checking out some of our recommended online betting sites. We have verified them to be trustworthy, reliable, and legitimate.

Our top-rated online betting sites have also proved to be the best betting sites with the needs of the Nigerian bettor at heart. This is because bettors can access the best odds in sports, extensive sports markets list, convenient payment options using the Nigerian Naira currency, among other features.

We do not recommend joining any new betting sites if they are not on our list above, as they might be illegal operators, and you could break Nigerian gambling laws by betting on the site.

Why Join New Nigerian Betting Sites?

What are the positives of joining a new Nigerian betting site when you can play on safe, trusted and reputable sites such as Bet9ja, and Nairabet?

To start, new betting sites always offer free bets and welcome bonuses for new players to take advantage of. You can only claim one new welcome bonus per betting site, but they can provide great value if you use them correctly.

Secondly, a lot of new betting sites in Nigeria offer higher odds than the established brands to attract new players. In fact, two new betting sites (Konfam Bet & MELBet) currently offer the highest betting odds in our independent tests.

Lastly, new betting sites in Nigeria tend to launch innovative new products to stand out from the crowd. For example, when Betway Nigeria first launched, their focus was on creating one of the best mobile-friendly apps and sites in Nigeria, and they currently rank at #1 for the best betting app in our tests.

Downsides of Joining New Betting Sites

However, there are some potential downsides to joining new betting sites that we should mention. To start, as some of the operators are so new, it is hard to know if they can be trusted. Now, we only list legal and licensed operators, but they can still treat customers poorly and it is difficult to know until players report these issues.

Secondly, some new betting sites in Nigeria can not offer top-tier features such as free live streaming, bet builder (custom bets), free bet clubs and other unique features that only the biggest betting sites can offer. If you want to best features, we recommend checking out our list of the best Nigerian betting sites to get free live streams, unique promotions and the most betting markets.

Lastly, some new bookies sign up offers may appear to be generous, but they can come with poor terms and conditions, or in rare cases, even refuse to give you the bonus. This rarely happens on established betting sites, but the chances are you have already claimed the welcome bonus of those sites.

How to Choose a New Betting Site

We have a list of new Nigerian betting sites that we believe are worth joining, but of course, our list is subjective. However, this is how we review and test each site to pick out the best.

Licensing and Safety

Firstly, we check to see if the new bookie has a valid Nigerian gambling licence, and list each licence in our operator reviews. We will never list a betting site that does not hold a Nigerian gambling licence, and we do not recommend joining any sites that do not show you their licence information somewhere (usually the footer) on their website.

As for safety, we check the website's security to ensure they use high-end software which will encrypt all data to and from the website so no one can steal your valuable information.

Sign Up Offers

Then, we check to see how good the welcome bonus is for new customers. Unfortunately, some bonuses can come with difficult terms and conditions which make it extremely difficult to turn the bonus into real money.

But, our partnerships with online betting sites allows us to offer exclusive free bets and bonuses including no deposit free bets & other high-value welcome offers.

Nigerian Payment Methods

As we are starting to see a lot of new Nigerian betting sites, we check to see which payment methods they accept and whether or not they charge for deposits or withdrawals. Check out our individual operator reviews for more information on each betting site.