Esports betting in Nigeria is now fully embraced and no longer just an emerging trend. The market has been growing in Nigeria, and according to Statista, the projected revenue for 2025 is $13.9m. One of the main reasons for this is that gamers have plenty of esports betting sites to choose from, where they can enjoy popular games and intense competitions, while it is also a potential way to make money.
In this guide, you will learn everything about esports betting in Nigeria. We will help you sift through the hundreds of esports betting sites to help you find the very best tailored for Nigerian punters.
Best Esports Betting Sites in Nigeria Right Now
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Looking for where to bet on esports in Nigeria? The list above contains our top selection of the best Nigerian esports betting sites. Here, you’ll find among the best esports markets, bonuses, promotions and odds.
Each has been fully reviewed to ensure that they are fully licensed in a respected jurisdiction and also offer a generous welcome bonus to get you started.
- 1. Best Esports Betting Sites in Nigeria Right Now
- 2. Understanding Esports Betting
- 3. How to Choose the Best Esports Betting Sites in Nigeria
- Licensing and Security: Is the Site Safe & Regulated?
- Game Selection: Which Esports You Can Bet on
- Competitive Odds: Get the Best Value
- Bonuses and Promotions: What's on Offer?
- Features that Matter: Live Betting, Streaming & Cash Out
- User Experience: Interface, Speed and Design
- Payment Methods: Local or Crypto Options?
- Customer Support: Availability & Helpfulness
- Mobile Optimization: Betting on the Go
- 4. Top Esports Betting Games
- 5. Popular Esports Betting Markets in Nigeria
- 6. Esports Betting in Nigeria: Bonuses and Promotions
- 7. Esports Betting in Nigeria: Payment Methods
- 8. How to Bet on Esports in Nigeria
- 9. Is Esports Betting Legal in Nigeria?
- 10. References
Understanding Esports Betting
What is esports betting? Esports is short for “electronic sports” and it involves competitively playing video games, with prizes for the top players.
Esports can be first-person shooters (FPS), multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), real-time strategy (RTS) games, fighting games, or sports simulators. Popular games include Dota 2, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, FIFA and League of Legends.
Now that you understand esports, the next step is understanding esports betting. This involves placing bets on a competitive video game, competition, or tournament. Nigerian punters can bet on markets like match result, correct score, handicaps, total maps, total kills, player performance, and top player/MVP, so there is a real variety available.
How to Choose the Best Esports Betting Sites in Nigeria
Not every betting site will fulfil your esports betting needs, mainly since most sites concentrate on regular sports. So, how do you find the right choice? Here are the key aspects our experts look out for to give you the best selection:
Licensing and Security: Is the Site Safe & Regulated?
It may look all rosy and enticing, but an esports betting site that is not regulated will never appear on our list. While Nigeria has no restrictions on sports betting in its jurisdiction, we always recommend playing at sites licensed by reputable bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority, Curaçao Gaming Control Board and Anjouan Offshore Financial Authority. Also, security remains non-negotiable, so key aspects like two-factor authentication (2FA), SSL encryption, firewalls, and responsible gambling protocols are other aspects we review to ensure that every action you take is safe.
Game Selection: Which Esports You Can Bet on
What’s an esports betting site without a range of options? The basic rule for any site we recommend is that it must offer a wide coverage of esports markets, allowing players to bet on popular games, leagues, and tournaments. Regarding options, the best esports betting sites will go beyond the standard match outcomes and outright markets to incorporate other options like totals, handicaps, map bets, player performance, etc. GG.Bet Esports, for example, stands out for 20+ esports markets and is an industry leader.
Competitive Odds: Get the Best Value
Odds determine the returns you can make on a betting site, so going for the sites with great competitive odds is clearly a good idea. Even better, some secondary apps and websites have an odds comparison feature to help bettors find the sites with the best odds. One of the top esports betting sites known for the best odds in the market is Pinnacle.
Bonuses and Promotions: What’s on Offer?
While it is possible to make a profit betting on esports, bonuses are the main way to improve your experience and bankroll in the long term. A good esports betting site offers different bonuses, including welcome offers, loyalty programs, reload bonuses, and exclusive offers tailored to specific esports games and tournaments. While at it, these bonuses should have friendly rules, such as low deposit limits and wagering requirements. Donbet is one of the top esports betting sites in Nigeria, known for high-value bonuses, including a sign-up bonus of 120% up to $600.
Features that Matter: Live Betting, Streaming & Cash Out
Adding to bonuses and extensive Esports markets, the best sites will offer a few more key features to complement esports markets. They include the following:
- Live betting allows players to make in-play bets and take advantage of enhanced odds.
- Live streaming allows bettors to watch the action live on their devices.
- Cash out allows you to close your bets early, so there’s no need to have your fingers crossed throughout the session.
- Stats and results allow you to look at how players and the team perform; this can be vital to a successful wager.
User Experience: Interface, Speed and Design
A user-friendly platform always gets a high score from us. While reviewing, we look at the website to ensure it has an intuitive design, is easily navigable, and is responsive in a quick manner. It should be a hassle-free experience to have access to betting markets, live events, information pages, account settings, and cashier pages – even on mobile devices.
Payment Methods: Local or Crypto Options?
The banking section becomes vital when choosing the best sites. to bet on esports in Nigeria. We recommend platforms that ensure players can easily deposit or withdraw funds. Nigerian players should enjoy fast deposits and withdrawals through convenient, secure banking options. These options may include debit/credit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, and even cryptocurrencies. One top crypto-gambling site for esports betting in Nigeria is VIPCasino. It allows 40+ cryptocurrencies for convenience and security.
Customer Support: Availability & Helpfulness
Reliable customer support is essential on any platform. We look for speed and professionalism when rating any support team at a betting site. Those that make our cut offer 24/7 support through multiple channels, such as live chat, phone support, email support, and a contact form. In addition, we check the FAQ page to ascertain whether the frequently asked questions are useful.
Mobile Optimization: Betting on the Go
Some Nigerian punters love their betting exploits while on the move. Many modern sites use HTML5 technology, which ensures mobile accessibility. But not every platform offers a seamless experience. Top sites ensure that mobile users find a well-organized lobby that is not cluttered, despite the small screens, and a platform with fast loading speeds. Some esports betting sites in Nigeria, like BC.Game Esports, offer a dedicated app.
Top Esports Betting Games
Esports is a broad concept, as shown by its different genres. But even with hundreds of Esports betting games, some always capture the attention of all gamers and bettors. So, what can Nigerian Esports bettors expect? Here is a selection of a few:
- EAFC: Football is religiously followed in NG, which makes sense why EAFC (previously FIFA) is a go-to option. EAFC is a sports simulation game in which players select different real-life teams and compete against each other.
- Dota 2: This is a common name when it comes to Esports. It is a MOBA game played by two teams of five players competing against each other to destroy each other’s base. Interestingly, the game boasts one of the biggest prize pools in Esports. In 2021, The International, a popular Dota 2 betting tournament, awarded $40 million in total!
- Counter-Strike: Counter-Strike is another popular game to play at top Esports betting sites in Nigeria. It is a first-person shooter game, and like Dota 2, it involves two teams dubbed terrorists and counter terrorists with five players each to compete in objective-based game modes.
- League of Legends (LoL): LoL was released in 2009 and is another top MOBA game you can find at the best sites for Esports betting in Nigeria. The goal is to advance to your enemy’s base to destroy their nexus, so LoL betting is among the most exciting options.
Below are other popular games to play at the best Esports betting sites in Nigeria:
- Rocket League: A football-simulated game played with cars
- Fortnite: A battle royale game – the goal is to be the last man standing.
- NBA2k: A sports game simulating real NBA matches.
Popular Esports Betting Markets in Nigeria
A comprehensive range of betting markets makes things spicy on the esports platforms. While the match outright winner remains the most common betting option, other bet types exist to make the game or match more exciting; especially those with a clear favorite and underdog. The following are the popular markets for the various esports games:
- Tournament winner: This is an outright bet where you predict the winner of the whole tournament. Your bet wins if your selected team wins.
- Match winner: Simply betting on which team is going to be win a match.
- Correct score: It involves correctly predicting the final score of a match.
- Handicap betting: Instead of backing a favorite to win with low odds, you can back the favorite to overcome a deficit of points or goals with much higher odds. That is handicap betting.
- Map winner betting: Esports games can be played as best-of-3, best-of-5, or best-of-7. Each of these matches are played on a map. Before a match begins, you can bet on who wins the first map.
- Totals: This type of bet involves picking whether the final points will be over or under a set amount, like Over/Under 4.5. In esports, this means selecting if a game will be on over or under a certain number of rounds or if a player will get over or under a pre-determined number of kills, or frags.
- Odd/even bets: The bet type involves predicting whether the final outcome will have an odd or even number. The outcome can be based on total points, players killed, number of rounds, games won, etc.
- First kill/blood: The bet type involves backing the team that will be the first to kill an opposition member.
- Top player/MVP: The bet option will involve backing a player to win the most valuable player (MVP) prize at the end of a tournament.
- Player performance: This bet type involves betting directly on the player’s performance. The metrics depend on the specific game, such as the number of kills in a shooter game.
Esports Betting in Nigeria: Bonuses and Promotions
Freebies are always welcome, and the top sites for esports betting in Nigeria all offer them. These bonuses and promotions add an exciting edge to your gaming experience by contributing to your bankroll. The different types of esports bonuses and promotions to expect are:
- Welcome offers: Almost every top esports betting platform has a welcome bonus for new players. They are mostly deposit match offers or free bets.
- Risk-free bets: These are popular bonuses among sportsbooks offering esports betting. The platform refunds a percentage of your lost bets and credits them as risk-free bets.
- Free bets: Some esports sites offer a fixed free bet without depositing funds. You must play through these bets and withdraw the winnings, without the free bet.
- Reload bonuses: These are tailored for existing players who have deposited more than once on the platforms. They mainly activate after funds are deposited.
- Odds and accumulator boosts: Most esports sites offer enhanced odds boosts for traditional sports. However, a few may incorporate esports options, allowing players to bet on selected events and receive larger payouts if they succeed with a large bet slip.
Esports Betting in Nigeria: Payment Methods
Most esports betting sites operating in Nigeria are offshore, so finding one that accepts Nigerian naira can be tricky. Instead, these sites accept popular international currencies like the USD, EUR, and GBP. Some even allow cryptocurrencies, making it easy to transact with BTC, ETH, USDT, BCH, LTC, etc.
The following are some of the popular options to deposit and withdraw funds at the top gambling platforms for esports betting in Nigeria:
- Credit/debit cards: Visa/MasterCard
- Prepaid cards: PaySafeCard, Flexepin, Neosurf
- eWallets: Skrill, Neteller, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Payz, MuchBetter, iDebit, etc.
- Bank transfers
- Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether, XRP, TRON, Dash, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, etc.
A tip to hold close is to check the conversion fees, transactional fees, limits, and speeds for every banking method.
How to Bet on Esports in Nigeria
Betting on Counter-Strike and other esports in Nigeria is straightforward and similar to betting on traditional sports. Below is the quick guide to follow if you’re interested:
- Check our list of the top esports betting sites in Nigeria and find one that suits you.
- Sign up for your account by providing user information like name, email, and address.
- Log in to your account and explore the cashier section to choose a deposit method.
- Deposit funds and claim a welcome bonus.
- Go to the ‘esports’ section and choose a game or event to bet on.
- Choose your desired market(s).
- Once satisfied, place a stake on the bet slip and confirm your bet.
- Follow the match and wait to see if your bet wins.
Is Esports Betting Legal in Nigeria?
The short answer is yes, you can bet on esports in Nigeria. Gambling in Nigeria is regulated, with the national lottery, sports betting, and land-based casinos given the green light to operate. Esports betting is categorized under sports betting, making it legal in Nigeria. In addition, no restrictions are placed on Nigerians who wish to wager online, including those who prefer offshore platforms – just ensure that you are betting at a fully licensed site.
References
- Esports betting in Nigeria, Statista: https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/esports/esports-betting/nigeria
Since: November 27, 2023
