Nigeria has long been a sporting hotbed, not just within Africa but all over the world. Few countries in Africa can compete with Nigeria when it comes to sporting devotion and this love of sport is as virile today as it ever has been.
The boom in sports betting all over the world has certainly taken the sporting landscape in Nigeria along with it, with punters having plenty of opportunities to bet on Nigerian sport and the most popular sports within the country.
For sports fans and punters, there has never been more opportunity to place bets, which in turn presents a higher chance of making money through sports betting.
With such variety and value in the market, there has never been a better time to be on Nigerian sport and sportsbooks and punters alike are looking to make the most of the surge in interest.
Use the Bookmaker Offers
Attracting new custom is integral to a bookmaker’s success and offering promotions to players once they sign up is a tried and tested method of getting new punters on board.
How sportsbooks look to attract new players continues to develop, with trends in the market often being tried out to see how many new players bite.
With not all bookmakers offering the same deposit and reload bonus options, shopping around for the best sportsbook promotion that suits you is key.
Some companies offer free bet tokens simply for signing up whilst others offer a risk free first bet – whichever option you plump for, they can all be used across a range of Nigerian sports betting markets.
Here is a guide on the best sports to bet on in Nigeria:
Football
As Nigeria’s national sport, it is perhaps no surprise to see football recommended as a must bet sport within the country.
Central to the national appeal of the ‘beautiful game’ is the success of the Nigerian national team. A regular at World Cup competitions and the ‘Super Eagles’ have won the African Cup of Nations on 3 occasions – most recently in 2013.
The Nigerian domestic league is also one of the most competitive professional leagues across all of Africa, with sides often progressing to the African Champions League.
Whilst Nigerian football continues to go from strength to strength, some of Nigeria’s greatest exports have left the country to play club football in Europe with aplomb.
Premier League legends such as Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu lit up the top flight when they were playing in England whilst the likes of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are the current generation representing Nigeria.
This global appeal of football is a huge part of society in Nigeria and there are plenty of football betting markets available in the country as a result.
Boxing
Whilst it certainly isn’t for everyone, boxing presents excellent opportunities for punters – with the frequency of fights adding potential value to any bettors looking to build accumulator bets.
Nigeria is awash with boxing talent, with plenty of fighters making it on to both the African and world stage.
Betting on boxing is far simpler than accessing the straight win/lose market with bets such as method of victory and round of victory often yielding excellent returns if predicted correctly.
Athletics
Few countries can compete with Nigeria when it comes to athletic prowess and their performances in short, middle, and long distance running hold up very well in comparison to the rest of the world.
Blessing Okagbare is a figurehead for Nigerian athletics, with her medals in both the long jump and the 200m at the 2016 Olympics seminal moments for Nigerian sport. Athletics betting is often overlooked as a vocation but with such unpredictability within the sport, there is always plenty of chances for punters to win money.