Why Casino Games are Not Popular in Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the fastest growing online gambling markets in Africa and is on the radar of a number of gaming operators. When you look closer at the Nigerian gaming market, you will find that Nigerians spend most of their time and money placing sports bets.

It’s all about sport in Nigeria

There a number of online casinos that offer Nigerians a nice selection of slots, table games, live dealer casino games, speciality games and progressive jackpots. However, these games don’t really capture the attention of the average Nigerian player and hence the successful gaming operators in Nigeria have recognized what the market wants and have catered their offering accordingly.

Nigerians Love Sports Betting

Nigerians love to spend their money placing wagers on their favourite teams. Nigeria is a sport crazy nation and football is by far the most popular sport in the African nation. Locals love to keep tab on multiple domestic leagues such as the Premier League, the Spanish La Liga and Italy’s Serie A.

Nigerian bettors pay close attention to the happenings in the world of football and are generally well informed on the latest happenings concerning their favourite teams. Most bettors make it a habit to place a minimum bet on their favourite teams and then wait in anticipation to see if their team wins and their bet pays off for them.

While football tends to get the most betting action, there are a number of other sports that Nigerians also love to bet on. Some of these sports include boxing, mixed-martial-arts, cricket, rugby, athletics, tennis and horse racing.

Casino Games Slowly Gaining Attention   

Even though the Nigerians are sceptical about casino games it has not stopped them from trying them for free at the many no deposit casinos operating in Nigeria.

Most Nigerians are hesitant of using their own money to play online casino games as their first preference is to take their cash and make a wager on their favourite sport. iGaming operators targeting Nigeria have realized this and as a result tend to offer generous no deposit bonuses that allow Nigerians to test out different online casino games using the no deposit bonus.

This no deposit bonus is usually given in the form of free spins. Some Nigerian facing online casinos tend to offer free cash or a combination of free cash and free spins. This no deposit bonus can be claimed for free once a player creates a new account. Players can then use the free spins or free cash to play an online casino game and see if it interests them.

These special no deposit bonuses have struck the right note with the Nigerian online gaming market. Players are willing to take the risk and try out a new online casino game when they know they are not going to be losing any money out of their own pocket. Players who use these no deposit bonuses should always take a few minutes to carefully read the terms and conditions that govern these welcome bonuses.

No Deposit Bonuses Breaking the Stereotype

Online casino games such as blackjack and poker require players to study and understand the rules of the game. Players know they have to develop a good strategy if they are going to win at these classic online table games. This is one of the main reasons why these type of online casino games do not really appeal to the average Nigerian player as it requires them to invest both their time and focus to study and learn the game.

Online slots tend to be a lot more appealing to Nigerian players as they are based completely on chance and don’t require any strategy to win. These no deposit free spin bonuses work really well with the Nigerian market as players are willing to experiment and try out new online casino games with these no deposit free spins.

Many online casinos limit these free spins to only slot games and sometimes to specific slot games. This makes it easy for Nigerian players as their options are limited and they waste no time in using their free spins to play different online slot games.

The free spins allow players to not only test different online slot games but also gives them the experience of learning and playing a new game. Most online casinos tend to offer a minimum of 10 free spins while some casinos can offer 50 to 100 free spins. By the time players’ end up exhausting these free spins, they will be familiar with how the game plays and be comfortable enough in navigating the online casino software.

If a player ends up on the winning side by using these free spins, it usually boosts their confidence significantly. Even if they don’t win, they still have enough confidence to consider playing online slot games with real money of their own.

The process is a slow process as gaming operators have to slowly convince Nigerian players that they can have fun playing online casino games and come out on the winning side.     

Young Nigerians Open to Online Casino Games

While Nigerians slowly open up to the possibility of playing more online casino games, it is clear that sports betting will continue to hold sway in the Nigerian gaming market as it is a lot faster and easier to place a sports bet than to play an online casino game.

However, the younger generation of educated Nigerian players realize that they can place their sports bet and also play online casino games. This demographic tends to have a bigger bankroll than players who don’t have a proper education and live in economically backward regions. These young players are looking for variety and online casino games give them both the excitement and opportunity to make money quickly!