Mastering Sports Betting in Nigeria: Your Ultimate Guide

If the idea of online betting has entered your head and you can’t get rid of it, then you need to be ready to consume a vast amount of information, useful and bad articles, annoying promos, and face irritating failures. That’s because betting is an extremely complex industry that requires good preparation. Luckily, you might be on the right track as this page will guide you through the beauties of modern Nigerian sports betting, show you the key trends and 7 steps on how to start your successful betting journey with a head up. 

Retrospective on the Phenomenon of Betting

The origins of the word “betting” can be traced back to the late 15th century in ancient China and ancient Greece. But the very first records of betting were found much earlier, in 2300 B.C., in animal races and athletic tournaments. Since then, this popular activity has undergone many changes, including mechanisms, ideologies, values, and goals. 

Today, people enjoy placing bets on a wide variety of disciplines, playing virtual games, and winning real money. They even say the lucky ones can become multi-millionaires after hitting some jackpots. While others, who do not put enough effort and rely only on luck, may fall into the hands of addiction and lose enormous amounts of money. So, in order to guide you on the right path, we’ll a bit later go through 7 steps that will help you start your journey on a positive note. 

Online Betting Pros and Cons 

How Legal Is It to Bet Online in Nigeria in 2023?

The answer to the question is 100% legal. Thanks to the great passion of the whole country towards sports, the Nigerian government gives permissions to all betting sites that comply with a certain set of rules. The law companies of each site are inspected by the local Nigerian licensor. In other words, all the bookies owners who want to provide online and offline betting services legally, must get a license from the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. Otherwise, the website might be considered illegal with owners getting punished. For example, if you would like to play at the locally licensed bookmakers, check out a guide on how to bet at SportyBet and explore the main features. Here’s the link: https://betguide.ng/bet-with-sportybet/. 

So, can we trust the NLRC to protect players? From the first formation of the National Lottery Act in 2005, all betting sites must get permission from the official commission. Legal betting means that you’re protected by the law, the chance of losing money through mistakes is almost zero, and your personal information is hidden from third parties. Therefore, make sure that you register with betting sites that are regulated by the local licensor.  

7 Steps for a Successful Kick Off

We’ve already mentioned that all novices are advised to go through the comprehensive guide in order to stay profitable, increase the percentage of correct predictions and avoid mistakes that can ruin their sessions. Below is a list that all beginners and experienced bettors should familiarize themselves with and keep in mind whenever they enter the betting site over and over again. 

Step 1: Get Familiar With the Odds

Sports betting industry counts thousands of articles dedicated to prediction tips, strategies, and various tricks. However, the key concept of sports betting is knowing how to read and analyze the odds and evaluate if they are good or overrated. Sportsbooks in Nigeria provide decimal odds as standard. So, to understand them, you must learn how to read them correctly. For example, odds 2.5 refers to the 2.5x multiplier on your stake. If you bet NGN 100 at these odds, you expect to win NGN 250. 

Step 2: Learn the Betting Process 

The modern sportsbook may look complex at first glance, but all the functions, buttons, and the entire betting process are straightforward. So, the second step is to learn the main betting functions, how the betslip works, and the available betting markets. Check out the main stages of betting process: 

• Your first bet always starts with choosing a bet type: pre-match or live. Modern Nigerian bookmakers offer live betting options to place bets on events that are in progress. This option is a quick way to place multiple bets on different markets at any time during the game. While pre-match betting has more traditional roots, which makes you focus on events that will start in some time. 
• Then you select the match. As soon as you open the Sportsbook, you will be presented with the full range of live and upcoming games. Select the sport in the left column and you will see all the games available for that sport. Browse through the games and choose one or more. 
• Choose the betting market and check the odds. Select the betting market based on the current match characteristics. Analyze the odds on each market. In fact, this is one of the most important steps, you’re deciding on the market that will correlate to your betting results. Picking the right outcome will bring you the profit. 
• Set the betting slip options. You need to set the betting slip options, determine the final number of selections for your bet and specify the amount of the bet. In the betting slip section you can find out your potential winnings with or without bonus and how much tax you have to pay.

Step 3: Study Betting Strategies

Sure, you can always rely on luck and pick the betting market at random. Yes, there’s a chance to win and make some money. However, with such an approach, the chance of losing the bet is much higher. That’s because placing bets is a challenging activity that requires developing and applying strategies and trying different techniques to stay profitable. Therefore, the third step is to look through the already developed strategies of professional bettors, but make sure to apply them properly. Then, after some time, you will be able to create your own strategy with a higher average winning rate. 

Step 4: Read Stories of Success and Failure

If you decide to dive into the hot action of sports betting, it might be a good idea to read about well-known cases where people hit multi-million wins, check what strategy they used and what are their comments. It’s also important to seek information about betting failures and analyze the mistakes made along the way. Studying these stories about successes and failures will make you comprehend the real idea of betting and what you can expect.

Step 5: Check out Available Bookmakers

This is probably one of the most time-consuming factors, but it’s still extremely important. The betting market in Nigeria consists of dozens of online bookmakers to choose from. So your goal is to look for reputable sites with top security measures, extensive sportsbooks with many sports betting options, generous promotions, responsive support, and other factors. Select a few bookmakers and compare them using these criteria. Or check out the ratings of reputable betting sources and base your decision on them. But be aware that many of these sources are affiliate sites. 

Step 6: Create an Account

Once you have shortlisted the site that meets all the important criteria, you can proceed with the registration process. In general, all betting sites have similar registration procedures and information that you’re required to provide. Once you open the registration tab, you will be presented with several fields where you will be asked to input your full name, phone number, email address, date of birth, and create a password.

Step 7: Keep Track of Your Bets & Constantly Improve

Imagine you have registered your account, topped up your balance and placed the bet, now it’s time to evolve. The philosophy of betting consists of two factors, having fun and trying to win. The fun comes with the first bet you win. But at the beginning of your journey you will be less likely to make 100% correct predictions. To do this, you should keep track of your bets and make a little analysis of what went wrong and whether the technique worked well or not. Such a smart approach to betting analysis will constantly help you improve. Eventually, you will grow as a bettor ten times faster than a regular bettor. 

Our Top 5 Bookmakers for Your Consideration

Now you know what it takes to become a bettor. But you still don’t know which bookmakers are worth your time and which bookmakers to choose from. Below is a short list dedicated to the leading bookmakers in Nigeria that you can choose from and start your solid betting journey. You will find important parameters in the description of each bookmaker.  

1. 1xBet 
   This is an internationally known bookmaker that has subsidiaries in different countries, including Nigeria. This means that the bookmaker is licensed by the local lottery commission. The beauties of 1xBet are its incredible sportsbook with thousands of monthly events, top latest security measures for website and application, iOS and Android apps, numerous exclusive betting features and bonuses, many available payment methods, live betting, casino games and much more. 1xBet users have nothing to worry about as their betting experience is always pleasant. 

2. BetWinner 
   If you’re looking for the extensive section with casino games, and a large sportsbook with dozens of traditional sports disciplines, eSports, virtual sports, casino, live casino, crash games, and many more segments. BetWinner is a legal bookmaker, with an active license from NLRC in Abuja. Betting site complies with all the latest security standards, and provides incredible customer support options. Potential players at BetWinner can even register at account using the one-click option in a matter of a few seconds.  

3. BetPawa 
   BetPawa is known for its bright green website, top football and basketball tournaments to bet on, and exclusive PawaBoost options that increase odds above the average and give more payouts when betting on the same markets. BetPawa is licensed by Nigerian betting commision and already present in 11 African countries, offering its best betting services to more enthusiasts. 

4. Betika
   Although it is in fourth place, you’ll never say that the bookmaker is lagging behind the others in the top. Betika is a bundle of excellent emotions, from a wide range of sports to outstanding casino games, crash games, and virtuals. In addition, players can take advantage of fascinating offers such as deposit bonuses, multibet free bets with up to 5x return, Super League Chapa boost bonuses of up to 40%, and excellent loyalty bonus.

5. SportyBet
   Live betting at SportyBet is something you will never want to miss. New and experienced bettors can choose from a variety of sporting events in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and dozens of other disciplines. All of this is available through the desktop website and mobile application, so your betting session is never interrupted and you can continue on the go. There are also referral bonuses of 1,000 NGN to you and your friend which you can spend on any bet you like. Get more details by reading a detailed article on how to bet at SportyBet at https://betguide.ng/bet-with-sportybet/. Examine its fantastic betting features, markets, and supported sports disciplines firsthand.

To Sum Up 

Betting in Nigeria is getting new changes and giving new opportunities. Nowadays, from the idea of placing a bet to its realization, you won’t spend more than 5 minutes. Just open the website, create an account in a few minutes and find the events you want to bet on. But make sure you spend enough time to explore different betting sites and evaluate the one that suits your needs. Also, pay attention to its legality in Nigeria, the number of supported payment methods, and all the sports you prefer.