Gambling in Nigeria

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Gambling in Nigeria is not well regulated. Although there is a gambling law in place, many illegal casinos operate in the country. The legal land-based casinos are located in the two largest cities. The biggest casino is The Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. Nigerian law focuses on activities to reduce money laundering and illegal gambling. [1]

Contents

Gambling law

Gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission and, for a long time, given the strong presence of the Catholic church in Nigerian civil society, it was discouraged and seen as an anti-social phenomenon. The lottery was legalized with the National Lottery Act, 2005 and gambling is defined by Chapter 22 of the Criminal Code Act enacted in 1990. [2] Thanks to these new regulations, gambling has entered people's ordinary lives, with a focus on betting on the most popular sports in Nigeria. [3]

Several years back, many people in Nigeria perceived gambling as sinful. However, things are beginning to change now. With most of the country's citizens being very religious, the current generation of Nigerian youths is generally more liberal and open to placing bets online.

Technological development and exposure to social media have contributed to this shift toward more liberal thought in Nigeria. Sports betting, in particular, is no longer an activity that individuals undertake behind closed doors and is now acceptable in society.

The law splits the games into two categories: The legal and illegal games. The legal games are lottery, land-based casino, and sports betting. Roulette, dice games, and non-skilled card games are illegal. The law regulates slot machine activity and only licensed operators can provide slot machine gambling. [4] Money laundering activity is covered by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. [5]

Online gambling

Sports betting has been popular in Nigeria for several decades, but online sports betting wasn't that popular until the late 2000s. Today, though, Nigeria is home to more than 40 sports betting sites, with estimates indicating that close to 60 million Nigerians actively participate in sports betting. That's close to a third of Nigeria's population.

Online gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the Nigerian Lottery Commission. All bookmakers are required to obtain a license from the gaming commission before operating in Nigeria. Nigerian law does not mention online space and there is no restriction for the people to reach local or foreign gambling sites. Although Internet space is not mentioned exactly in the law, the companies are obliged to follow the regulations and laws as it is for the land-based casinos. All types of online games are available except those that are illegal.

Since the advent of online sports betting, Nigeria is now the second-largest online gambling market in the African continent, with projections indicating that soon, Nigeria will overtake South Africa and take the number position as the largest gambling market in Africa. [6]

Online Gambling Companies

Nigeria is one of the most competitive markets in gambling in Africa. The size of the population and internet exposure of the residents creates the right conditions for online gambling companies to operate in. Some of the legal bookmakers available online in Nigeria include Bet9ja, 1960bet, Nairabet, Betfair, 9jaPredict, Betway, BetNigeria and others.

Unlike several decades back, when mobile phones were not prevalent, such isn't the case today. According to a recent report, Nigeria is home to more than 100 million internet users and about 169 cell phone customers. [7]

It is no surprise that as the number of mobile phone and internet users in the nation has climbed, so has the rate of sports betting. We may now place bets quite quickly and affordably, whether from the convenience of our homes or while traveling.

Nigeria's internet connectivity is impressive. Internet user penetration in Nigeria slightly increased between 2018 and 2022, from around 26% to 38%. With increased internet penetration and accessibility to affordable smartphones, sports betting in Nigeria is undoubtedly growing.

Baba Ijebu

Premier Lotto Limited popularly called Baba Ijebu is a gaming company that offers lotto services and betting in Nigeria. [8] It is the oldest known Nigerian lotto game operator and was registered in 2001. [9] Baba Ijebu offers over 20 different lotto games which include Diamond, Peoples, Bingo, MSP, Metro, International, Gold, 06, Jackpot, Lucky G, Clubmaster, Super, Tota, Mark 2, Vag, Enugu, Midweek, Fairchance, Fortune, Royal, Bonanza, King, National, Lucky.[ citation needed ] [10] Baba Ijebu was founded by gaming magnate Sir Kensington Adebukunola Adebutu CON, KJW, FISM who is also its current CEO. [11] In 2017 also, Baba Ijebu signed Quadri Aruna on a three-year endorsement deal worth $75,000. [12]

Gambling age

The gambling age is defined by the law. People below the age of 18 cannot legally gamble.

Payment gateways

There is no obstacle when depositing money to foreign or local bookies, although betting limits exist as defined by respective individual bookmakers. Users deposit money using bank cards, e-wallets such as Skrill or Neteller, and most recently USSD services. There is no legal restriction or service blocking.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling</span> Wagering of money on a game of chance or event with an uncertain outcome

Gambling is the wagering of something of value on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elements to be present: consideration, risk (chance), and a prize. The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice, a spin of a roulette wheel, or a horse crossing the finish line, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookmaker</span> Organization or person that takes bets on sporting events

A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.

Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. It is a prolific form of online gambling.

Online gambling is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos, and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for the Liechtenstein International Lottery in October 1994. Today, the market is worth around $40 billion globally each year, according to various estimates.

Gambling in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under the Gambling Act 2005. This Act of Parliament significantly updated the UK's gambling laws, including the introduction of a new structure of protections for children and vulnerable adults, as well as bringing the burgeoning Internet gaming sector within British regulation for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in the United States</span> Overview of gambling in the United States

In the United States, gambling is subject to a variety of legal restrictions. In 2008, gambling activities generated gross revenues of $92.27 billion in the United States.

Mobile gambling refers to playing games of chance or skill for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection. Over a hundred mobile casinos were operating as of December 2013, with most of the big casino operators in gambling now providing a mobile platform for their player base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Lottery Corporation</span>

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is a Canadian Crown corporation that manages all legal gambling products in British Columbia including lottery tickets, casinos and online gambling. It is based in Kamloops, with a secondary office in Vancouver. It consists of three business units: Lottery, Casino and eGaming. Its annual revenues exceed CDN $1.6 billion. It has 890 direct employees. Its service providers, who run casinos on its behalf under contract, have an additional 8,300 employees.

Gambling in India varies by state; states in India are entitled to formulate their own laws for gambling activities. Some states like Goa have legalised casinos. Common gambling activities like organized betting are restricted except for selective categories including lottery and horse racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling Commission</span> UK statutory authority

The Gambling Commission is an executive, non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for regulating gambling and supervising gaming law in Great Britain. Its remit covers arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries, as well as remote gambling, but not spread betting. Free prize competitions and draws are free of the Commission's control under the "Gambling Act 2005".

Gambling in South Africa has been heavily restricted since 1673, with South Africa's Gambling Act of 1965 officially banning all forms of gambling except betting on horse racing which existed as a sporting activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in Russia</span> History of legal gambling in The Russian Federation

Gambling in Russia is legal in four regional subject areas, and in 2009 was made illegal in all other areas of Russia.

Gambling in Pennsylvania includes casino gambling, the Pennsylvania Lottery, horse racing, bingo, and small games of chance conducted by nonprofit organizations and taverns under limited circumstances. Although casino gaming has been legal for less than two decades, Pennsylvania is second only to Nevada in commercial casino revenues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in New Jersey</span> Overview of gambling in New Jersey

Gambling in New Jersey includes casino gambling in Atlantic City, the New Jersey Lottery, horse racing, off-track betting, charity gambling, amusement games, and social gambling. New Jersey's gambling laws are among the least restrictive in the United States. In 2013, the state began to allow in-state online gambling. Five years later, the state won a lawsuit that dismantled Nevada's monopoly on legal sports betting.

Gambling in Norway is illegal for the most part. Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the 2 only companies allowed to offer gambling services to Norwegian citizens. Norsk Tipping offers games like lotteries, sports betting, Keno and several others. Norsk Tipping is wholly state-owned company under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Church affairs, with rules about what times of day, and how much money players can bet. As of January 2019 all players have to be over 18 years of age to play all games of Norsk Tipping, including scratch tickets. Norsk Rikstoto is also state-owned and is the only company authorised to arrange horse race betting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in Italy</span>

Gambling in Italy has existed for centuries and has taken on many forms. Its dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, when the predecessor of the modern game of backgammon, Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum, became popular among Roman legionnaires. It is also due to them that the game came to other European countries.

Gambling in Turkey is highly regulated. Turkey banned casinos in 1998, and it banned non-state online gambling in 2006. A state lottery and betting services exists, however, and has some online gambling, and illegal gambling continues to persist.

Gambling has been present in the Philippines since at least the sixteenth century. Various legal and illegal forms of gambling are found almost all over the archipelago. The government manages gambling through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) a state-owned enterprise which both operates a number of individual casinos and in turn acts as a regulator to privately owned casino operators. Since 2016 PAGCOR has also granted operating licenses and overseen the regulation of growing online gambling sector serving offshore markets. Casino gambling and integrated resorts have become a key component of the Philippines appeal as a tourist destination with more than twenty casinos found in Metro Manila alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in China</span>

Gambling in China is illegal under Chinese law and has been officially outlawed since the Communist Party took power in 1949. Any form of gambling by Chinese citizens, including online-gambling, gambling overseas, opening casinos overseas to attract citizens of China as primary customers, is considered illegal. In practice however, Chinese citizens participate in state-run lotteries, regularly travel to legal gambling centers overseas or in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau and access gaming through offshore based proxy betting and online gambling companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Segun Adebutu</span> Nigerian businessman

Segun Adebutu is a Nigerian businessman, economist and philanthropist. He has business interests in oil and gas, shipping, mining, construction, real estate, agriculture and entertainment. He is the chairman and CEO of Petrolex Oil and Gas, a company presently building the second largest refinery in sub-Saharan Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Aguocha, C. M.; George, S. (2021). "Overview of gambling in Nigeria". BJPsych International. 18 (2): 30–32. doi:10.1192/bji.2020.28. PMC   8274406 . PMID   34287417.
  2. ↑ http://www.nigeria-law.org/Criminal%20Code%20Act-PartIII-IV.htm#Chapter Archived 2017-07-20 at the Wayback Machine 22
  3. ↑ "Sports sites in Nigeria".
  4. ↑ LawNigeria. "Laws of the Federation of Nigeria - GAMING MACHINES(PROHIBITION) ACT". www.lawnigeria.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  5. ↑ http://www.icnl.org/research/library/files/Nigeria/5_NigeriaMLPA2011.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  6. ↑ "Synopsis of the iGaming in Africa".
  7. ↑ "Number of internet users in Nigeria".
  8. ↑ Okafor, Kelvin. "How to play Baba Ijebu lotto?". Legit.ng .
  9. ↑ Joseph, Adeyi. "Nigeria: The Matrix Behind Premier Lotto". AllAfrica.com .
  10. ↑ Otenaike, Olushola (May 13, 2022). "Baba Ijebu Result". Naijapost.com.ng.
  11. ↑ Owoeye, Fikayo (2017-03-31). "Sales Boy to Lotto Magnate: The story of Chief Kensington 'Baba Ijebu' Adebutu". nairametrics.com. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  12. ↑ "Quadri signs 3-year endorsement with Premier Lotto". punchng.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
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