Betting in Nigeria has been growing at a swift pace with lightning speed in recent years, thanks to the adoption of mobile phone users and internet penetration.
It is estimated that the country has over 70 million active bettors, according to NAN (News Agency of Nigeria), who are 18-40 years old.
Another factor that increased the number of punters is the introduction of online gambling. You will hardly find a betting company in the country that doesn’t have an online presence (either a website or a betting app).
These platforms have helped encourage customers to place wagers easily, and the emergence of Fintech penetration is pivotal for bettors to deposit and withdraw winnings at their convenience.
However, in recent times one of the significant factors that have been pivotal for not just the increase in the number of punters but have helped the growth of online gambling patronage is the celebrity factor which is influencers. Many operators have used influencers to attract more customers.
These influencers are top celebrities like musicians, footballers, and skit makers, to mention a few. They have massive numbers of followers who are diehard fans, and many see them as role models. For example, Mr Macaroni, a brand ambassador for 1Xbet, has over 3 million followers on Twitter and the same numbers on Instagram. Others are Ikpeba for Bet9ja and, Amokachi for Betwinner, Davido, who has over 10 million followers representing 1Xbet, to mention a few.
In addition, some tipsters or punters have massive followers on social media platforms like Twitter and Telegram. Some examples of these tipsters are Ekitipikin, famous for dropping betting tips for his followers; he has a verified account with over 600 thousand followers on Twitter. Another is MrBankz, known for his advice on Tennis and football.
He also has a verified account with over 500 thousand followers. They are also influencers who drop betting tips for possible winnings with booking codes daily for different betting companies.
In addition, these tipsters gained these followers with their track record for consistent winnings in massive amounts; with that track record of winnings, their followers always stake whatever games these tipsters drop regularly. Who wouldn’t want to follow someone that allows you to earn money?
This has helped some betting companies in terms of patronage and increase in customers because not all games dropped by them turn out positively for their followers. They also help in promoting these brands by constantly dropping their promo codes and enticing them with massive welcome bonuses on their first deposit.
Conclusively, operators need to see influencers as a vital component to break into a highly competitive market like Nigeria, which already has many betting companies; influencers will play a huge role in luring bettors who already have betting brands that they place their wagers on. It will also help in the increase in customers and patronage. Another area is to come in with creative market options that are different from what customers are used to, and that’s where tipsters can go in now by booking these options and posting them for their followers to bet.
