In today’s Nigeria, when your 9-to-5 fails you, your betting slip might just come through.
As the economy continues to squeeze and job opportunities are hard to come by, millions of Nigerians look to sports betting not just as a past time, but survival.
The numbers are staggering, with 168.7 million active bettors in Nigeria, as revealed in a recent report by Business Insider Africa where the country is ranked as the top sports betting nation on the continent in early 2025.
It is scary and sad that such a high number of people place their faith in probability and luck that has no guarantees and cannot be used to plan the future.
Nigerians leads not because they place the biggest bets or have the highest participation rate (that trophy goes to South Africa and Uganda). No, Nigeria leads because its sheer population muscle is unmatched. With over 237 million people, even a modest 71% betting participation rate transforms into a market too big to ignore. (Businessday)