Online sports betting grows in Nigeria

The accessibility of internet and mobile sports betting websites has fostered a rise in the popularity of sports betting, especially on international football matches, reports the Nigerian publication ThisDayLive.

The report notes that a growing number of Nigerian betting sites are appearing on the internet, with many of them having physical offices in cities across the country, exploiting a national fervour for English premier league football that has never been more powerful among Nigerians.

Social media and Twitter are widely used to draw traffic to the websites, which include names like Niarebet.com, goldenbetsng.com, mybet.com.ng, nigeriabet.com and nairastake.com, as well as big-name UK and European gambling groups.

Bets from internet cafes are also apparently taking place, with the operator of one Lagos-based outfit, Ambrose Obialor, telling ThisDayLive:

“Once English premier teams are playing, fans come in to place their bets. It is usually individuals that come in to bet, and the amounts depend on individual pockets,” he says.

Charles Agam, a spokesman for Nairabet.com, said that the operations of the betting firms are mostly run on online platforms, resulting in minimal paper work for all parties concerned, and markets for selling bets are open 24 hours of the day, seven days a week.

Dotun Ajekigbe, a sport betting analyst and premiership enthusiast, said that millions of dollars are being paid out each day to successful punters, who are now more numerous than ever before…but he cautions:

“In fact sport betting is probably one of the most risky ways to earn a living. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially a salesperson trying to sell you betting. Being such a risky business punters still pursue it because of one main reason: it is probably the most rewarding and fulfilling moneymaking venture anyone can get into, only if you can make it work, that is.

“Sport betting is gambling, not investing. When you take calculated risks, you base your decisions on sound research and evidence, not intuition. The better informed the player is, the better chance he/she has at making money.”

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