Football is Nigeria’s most popular and watched sport. The sport has gained so much traction over the years. It has become the top choice for bettors and other enthusiasts. These fans religiously follow their favourite team every matchday, cheering them on to win and get some bragging rights or make some money off the bets on the team. The availability of these matches via satellite TV or live streaming features on different betting sites, has further made football betting easily accessible and the top choice for every punter in Nigeria.
Whether it’s at the retail betting shop or via mobile app, desktop or mobile lite site, players are always looking for which team to bet on and the best football betting guide to aid their betting exploits and boost their chances of winning. If you are a rookie bettor, looking for a step by step guide on how to place a bet on your favourite team, you have come to the right place.
On this page, we have designed an easy to understand strategy on how to place a football bet. From finding the best betting sites in Nigeria, creating a betting account, making your first deposit, unlocking your welcome bonus, finding the match, to placing your bet and scooping your winnings, we’ve got you covered.
We have gone through all the hassle of highlighting the most important steps you need to take as a beginner who is looking to place a bet on your favourite football team or any match for that matter.
This is your number one online sports betting guide that gives you a well researched and properly broken-down training on how to place a bet on the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, English Championship, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and any other football match that catches your fancy.
As you start off your betting journey, EaglePredict has everything you need to know with a well curated beginners' betting guide.
Picking a betting site
This is the first of many steps in our betting guide for beginners. If you want to know how to place a bet on football matches, you will need to look for a suitable betting site in Nigeria.
The betting site is a platform through which you can register an account, deposit, place a bet and make withdrawals without any hidden conditions.
When you are searching for a bookmaker, you must consider a number of factors. This is because the market is highly competitive now with so many local and international bookmakers. To choose the best of the lot, you need to consider various indices such as; safety and legality, user friendliness and ease of navigation, generous welcome bonus and promotions, payment methods available, accessibility through mobile app, among others.
Yes, there are many betting in Nigeria, however, only a number of them meet these important conditions. If you haven’t made up your mind about the one to settle for, our bookmaker comparison page might guide you.
Create an account
After choosing your preferred betting site, you will need to create an account. Registering a new betting account can come in different forms depending on the bookmaker. In most cases, you can register via mail, or phone number, or social network.
In each of these methods, you will be required to enter your name, password, date of birth, phone number or email address. These details are important in creating an account unique to you. Your date of birth is required just to confirm that you are of legal betting age. Also, in some cases, a code or link will be sent to your account. With this code, you will be able to verify your account and start using all the available tools and features on the betting sites. In fact, some betting sites require you to verify your account before you can make withdrawals or unlock certain offers and bonuses.
If you choose any of the bookmakers recommended on our bookmaker's comparison page, you can rest assured that all your personal information and data are 100% safe and well protected.
Make your first deposit
The deposit method offered by a bookmaker also determines the acceptance of such bookies by players. As a newly registered player on any betting site, you will need to deposit a certain amount of money to get your betting career off to a start.
To deposit:
- Log in to your account
- Click “deposit”
- Choose your preferred method
- Set the amount
- Make your payment
Usually, the minimum deposit amount for most betting sites in Nigeria ranges from ₦100. The minimum deposit is basically the least amount you can pay into your new betting account after registering. This means any amount below this will not be accepted. It is important you find out the minimum deposit amount for a betting site before choosing it as the affordability or otherwise can affect your betting activity on the platform. Basically, you should look for a betting site with a minimum amount that you can afford.
Also, the minimum deposit amount and the maximum amount vary according to the betting site and payment methods you are using. For instance on Bet9ja, the minimum deposit amount is ₦100 while on Paripesa, the minimum deposit amount is ₦250.
The most popular methods in Nigeria are:
- Bank cards
- Bank transfer
- Bank deposit
- E wallets
- USSD
The processing time for these transactions ranges from instant to 15 minutes, depending on the method and betting site you are using.
Claim your welcome bonus
Welcome bonuses are a great incentive to attract new users to a betting site. Known as first deposit bonus, registration bonus or new customer offer, these bonuses come in form of cash, freebets, boosted odds or cash back. 1xbet, Melbet, 22bet, Mozzart and Betbonanza are examples of betting sites that offer cash based welcome bonuses. For Nairabet and Betking, what you will get as a new customer is free bets while on Sportybet for example, you will get access to boosted odds that can aid your chances of winning big on the platform.
Welcome bonuses can come in handy for newly registered users as they serve as a means through which you can kickstart your betting career. When looking out for a bonus, you will need to consider the amount, and the percentage being offered.
On most betting sites, you will find something like 100% up to ₦100,000 on your first deposit or 300% up to ₦145,600. This means when you deposit a certain amount as a first time user, you will be rewarded with 100% of that amount not exceeding ₦100,000 or 300% not exceeding ₦145,600.
In some cases, like on Mozzartbet, you will see something like 200% up to ₦150,000 on your first three deposits. This means your first two deposits give you a certain bonus amount before you can get the maximum after making your third deposit.
The most important factors to consider
Minimum deposit
This usually ranges from ₦100 to about ₦500. We recommend that you go for an affordable minimum deposit amount to make it easy for you to unlock the bonus. So, if you deposit ₦100 and the bonus says 100% up to ₦100,000, it means your first deposit will be matched giving you an extra 100 to play with. Please note that the maximum amount in this case will be ₦100,000, meaning you cannot get above that even if you deposit more than that amount as a first time user.
Wagering requirements and minimum odds
You also need to familiarise yourself with the rules attached to any welcome bonus you are getting. These rules are usually known as wagering requirements. They pertain to how many times you must wager the bonus amount, how many odds and how many games you need to pick.
On 22bet for instance, a wagering requirement of 5 times the bonus amount is applicable. This wagering requirement must be met through accumulator bets. Each accumulator bet must contain a minimum of three selections, with at least three selections in each accumulator having odds of 1.40 or higher.
On Betbonanza, Once the bonus amount is credited, it must be wagered 10 times on events with odds no less than 1.85. On Betwinner, you must wager the bonus amount five times in accumulator bets. Each accumulator bet must consist of three or more events, with a minimum of three events having odds of 1.40 or higher.
Generally, a wagering requirement of 5x is good and gives you a realistic chance of withdrawing the bonus amount. A good welcome bonus should have an amount like ₦145,600 which 1xbet offers or the ₦150,000 that Mozzart gives new customers. These bonuses have a high amount and a realistic wagering requirement.
Validity
This is the period within which all the wagering requirements must be met. It ranges from the moment of registration to about 30 days depending on the betting site.
Find the bet you want to place
If you want to place a bet on your favourite team and don’t know how you have come to the right place. After identifying the betting site of your choice, go to the sports book section.
This section is usually located in the top left corner of the page. It is where you will find different kinds of sports available on the site. In most cases, the sports book section has a “football” icon on it, showing the extent to which football takes prominence across many betting sites in Nigeria.
To place a bet on your favourite team, you have to navigate this sports book page properly. It is important that you choose a betting site that is user friendly and contains a well structured sports book page. This will help you scroll easily and navigate towards your favourite team.
Find the sports of your choice
A trusted bookmaker offers over 20 different sports such as cricket, tennis, basketball, MMA, boxing, table tennis and of course football. To place a bet on football, you need to look for football or soccer on the sports book page. In some cases, football appears first before any other sports, making it easy for you to find your favourite national team or football club. Also, some bookmakers like Bet9ja let you search by country or by competition to ensure an easy means of navigating and finding your way around the large sportsbook.
Find your match
After finding the sport of your choice, you can go ahead to find the match you want. For instance, if you are placing a bet on your favourite team in the English Premier League and that team is Chelsea and they are playing against Brentford, you will look at the English League and find something like Chelsea Vs Brentford.
Choose the betting market
The bookmakers we recommend here have multiple betting markets for you to choose from. They include the Over/under, Handicap, BTTS among others. Once you have chosen and clicked your favourite team you want to bet on, you will find a number of betting markets including the example highlighted earlier.
If you are looking to place a bet that your favourite team will win the match, you will need to choose the 1×2 option. The designated home side is 1. X means draw while 2 is the away side. So, if you’re backing your favourite team Chelsea to win, go for the 1 option.
Understanding the odds
Betting odds are very important as such you must familiarise yourself with how they are calculated and what they mean for your potential payout.
Essentially, betting odds indicate the probability and likelihood that the game or betting market you have chosen will be won. It also represents how much money you can win if the bet you have placed is successful. The odds are designed by the bookmaker to reflect how likely they feel your selection will be won. If the odds are low, they believe there is a high chance that the game will be won. However, if the odds are too high, it means the game will most likely be lost.
For instance, if there is a Man City Vs Luton game, the odds for Man City to win will certainly be very low because based on records, quality and all round performance, Man City are, according to the bookmaker, way ahead of Luton Town. So, if you are betting on Man City to win, the odds will be something like 1.12. So, if you’re betting ₦1,000 that Man City will win, your potential winning will be around ₦1,120., meaning you have earned an extra ₦120 on the side plus your initial stake. If Luton is your favourite team and you are backing them to win, the odds will be very high. The higher the odds, the bigger the risk involved. Let’s say the odds are around 20.0. It means you will be winning 20x your initial stake amount.
When placing a bet on your favourite team to win, it is important for you to look at the odds, and understand the risk and the chances of winning.
Placing your bet
Once you have understood the odds:
- Click on your preferred option
- Enter the amount of money
- The minimum amount varies according to the bookmaker you are using
- Place your bet
Once your bet has been accepted, it will be inside a ticket or bet slip. You can track the progress of your slip via bet history or my bet section of your profile. If your bet is still ongoing, it will be shown under open bets.
Check the outcome and collect winnings
The outcome of your bet will be known immediately after the final whistle of the match has been blown. A full match takes 90+ minutes so say in about 2 hours, you would have known the outcome of your bet. The bet can be found under bet history or open bet section of your page.
If the bet has been won, you will see it immediately in your betting account. It will be available for future betting purposes or withdrawal for personal use.
Pay out your winnings
Now that you have won your bet, you have more money than the initial amount you deposited and wagered.
To withdraw from your betting account in Nigeria,
You will need to have a bank account. The bank details must tally with the name you entered during registration and the minimum amount is around 500. The minimum amount is what you must have in your betting account before your withdrawal can be processed. The processing time varies depending on the bank and the bookmaker.
Some betting sites take up to 24 hours while some like Sportybet give you an instant payout on your withdrawal.
On a regular basis, punters look for the best betting guide and strategy to ensure they approach every game from a vantage position. If you fall in this category, we have dug up the things you need to know as a beginner in a very simple way so you can get your betting journey off to a bright start.