Online gambling in Nigeria has been legal since 2005. Yet, at that time, the country’s sector primarily offered only lottery ticket sales over the internet. In 2013, private operators Superiorbet and Niaragames attempted to get online casino licenses from authorities, but a year later, they both faced financial and legal difficulties and halted their operations. Since then, various other Nigerian operators have attained gaming/betting approval from the Nigerian National Lottery Commission to offer their services over the internet. Many have so successfully, thriving, with their names featured on the website of the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers.

Betting at unlicensed platforms is illegal in Nigeria, but regulated gambling online options based elsewhere are not. Moreover, foreign operators can be active in Nigeria if they set up a subsidiary and run their business in the most populous nation in Africa from within its borders.

According to 2017 NOIPolls research, around 36% of polled Nigerians admitted to betting daily, and 53% stated they have family members that frequently participate in gambling activities. Thus, it is clear that this pastime is reaching massive popularity in Naija, and those interested in getting their feet wet with it should follow the procedures laid out below, as they represent a short guide to this hobby.

1. Selecting an Adequate Platform
Over the past two and a half decades, the Web has swarmed with countless gambling sites. Many platforms have come and gone, but a sizable number have also managed to stick around, and others are continuously popping up weekly. Many worldwide gaming associations now estimate that the figure of online gaming apps hovers around the three thousand mark, making it hard for many newcomers to this sphere to figure out which are legit sites and which are shady ones.

The best course of action concerning casino and sportsbook selection is to rely on the advice given by premium review hubs that analyze sector players. When doing so, it is essential to note several vital assessment criteria, such as reputation, payout speed, quality of promotions, variety of gambling options, and customer support quality. These are all indicators of the level of service one can expect at their chosen platform. After one picks their hub, the next move is filling out the required registration forms and confirming the created account by clicking on a verification email link. Those are the main steps to sign-up for an online casino or sportsbook.

2. Making an Initial Deposit
After a gambler has an active account with their chosen operator, they must fund their balance with real money to get allowed to gamble. They can do so by navigating to the cashier tab on their profile page or clicking a deposit button in the top navigation bar of the sportsbook/casino home page. That should open a dedicated tab where they will get presented with various payment methods.

Remember, depositing via virtually all options should be instantaneous, and most transaction choices should incur no fees when one decides to place money in the gaming/betting account.

3. Look to Claim a Bonus
It is part of the course for operators in this sector to greet new users with deposit matches. That holds for both internet sportsbooks and casino sites. Regarding the first category, betting hubs usually offer deals such as free bets on sign-up. These differ from the mentioned percentage matches, as they are often far less generous, but they still allow gamblers to do some free gambling.

All casino/sportsbook promotions online come with stipulations attached. It is paramount for gamblers to know this. They will feature wagering requirements, deadlines, max bet limits, and more. And if someone is not following through and completing the listed terms, they will not get to enjoy a promo’s advertised benefits.

4. Picking a Suitable Game/Market
High-roller casino fanatics like to play live dealer tables because these games offer higher betting limits, and at VIP ones, it is not unusual for these caps to go above $5,000 per hand or roulette spin. Players with more modest pockets gravitate towards low-variance slots, reel-spinning games that regularly produce smaller prizes. And as a rule of thumb, accept lower bets.

Sports betting-wise, a sportsbook must offer a wide selection of diverse markets. Most Nigerians love football and should examine the match odds offered on their considered markets, comparing them with those available at other operators before betting. That is a common practice, but the wagering coefficients provided can dramatically differ from site to site.

5. Withdrawing Winnings
This process differs from depositing in terms of what one must do to take out funds from the account. The chief variation between the two operations lies in the Know Your Customer process, an identity verification action that gamblers must perform, usually before getting their first withdrawal.

While most deposits happen immediately, withdrawal times can vary from seconds to days, depending on the selected method.