With more and more people having access to the internet nowadays, including via their mobile phones and tablets, both South Africa and Nigeria have grown to become the biggest sports and casino markets in Africa. The Nigerian population is three times as big as the South African one, but the two countries share a lot of similarities when it comes to the number of people betting and gambling.
The Nigerian national football team is one of the best teams globally and has actively competed in the World Cup ever since 2010. For this reason, it is no surprise that especially football betting is rampant in the country.
In South Africa, on the other hand, sports like cricket and rugby are extremely popular among bettors, with the Springboks being equaled with the All Blacks with 3 World Cup wins so far. With such huge sports-loving populations, sports betting has seen a steady increase in both countries, and both local and national government bodies have established laws and regulations to promote safe gambling ethics.
Differences Between South African and Nigerian Gambling Laws
However, there are some subtle different in laws and regulations in both countries. In Nigeria, it is The National Lottery Regulatory Commission that regulates all sports betting activities in the country, and it is also the institution that issues gambling licenses. Additionally, it runs the State Lottery and oversees all gambling operators in Nigeria. Although The National Lottery Regulatory Commission plays a clear regulatory role in the sports betting and land-based casino industry, its laws and regulations within the online casino or iGaming industry are still vague.
A good example of this is the fact that the House of Assembly in Lagos State has banned luck-based games like roulette, blackjack, dice, and card games at online casinos, which is why most local online casinos cannot operate in the country.
In South Africa, on the other hand, the rules and regulations are very clear. In this African country, The National Gaming Board controls and oversees all gambling activities and has set clear guidelines and rules for the casino industry. However, in South Africa, there are nine provinces, each with its own local gaming board. This local regulatory approach has been in place for decades and is about to change, as it is prone to corruption.
As for online casinos and bookmakers, they can do business in the country as long as they have obtained a license from the National Gaming Board. These online gambling sites are free to offer whatever games they want, including roulette, slots, card, and dice games.
Gambling Regulatory Bodies in South Africa
In South Africa, the national supervisory body for responsible gambling is the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP), which focuses on aspects like problem gambling and underage gambling. Three legislative gambling acts are active as of writing; the National Gambling Act of 2004, The National Gambling Amendment Act 2008, and the Remote Gambling Bill 2014.
Ever since the Apartheid, gambling in South Africa underwent a great transformation. The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) legalized land-based casinos, lotteries, bingo halls, and betting shops. However, the institution only focuses on offline business.
The National Gambling Act of 2004 allowed South African residents to place online sports wagers, but online casino games, bingo, and poker are still excluded from the act. Although hopes were high for changes in the National Gambling Amendment Act, revised in 2008, nothing has changed from the 2004 regulations, and online casino gambling is still prohibited in the country.
As of writing, a new draft Remote Gambling Bill has been published for public comment in South Africa that aims to regulate the issuing of licenses to be controlled by the relevant provincial authorities and to regulate advertising interactive and online gambling entities. In short, online sports betting is legal in South Africa, but online casinos are still labelled as illegal. Beside it being illegal, there are still online casino South Africa sites that accept SA players without any problem.
Gambling Regulatory Bodies in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the National Lottery Act 2005, National Lottery Regulations 2007, and the Lagos State Lotteries Law 2004 are in place. Government agencies that regulate both the offline and online casino and sports betting industries in the country include the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), the Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB), and other State Lotteries Boards.
Although sports betting and gambling, in general, is very popular among Nigerian citizens, the country’s regulatory system is difficult to understand, and it is unclear in which direction it is going. Both offline and online sports betting is legal in Nigeria, but online gambling is still unregulated.
There are no local online casinos operating in Nigeria, but a lot of foreign and offshore casinos are actively targeting Nigerians. For Nigerian players, it isn’t illegal to play at these sites. Nigerian players are also allowed to join offline lottery games, play at land-based casinos, and bet on sports through local bookmakers. Slot machines are licensed in Nigeria as well, and only licensed operators may market and distribute them.
Differences Between South African and Nigerian Gambling Laws – Conclusion
As of writing, online sports betting is legal in both countries, whilst online casino gambling is technically still prohibited. With many foreign online casinos actively targeting Nigerian and South African players, it would make sense if both countries would introduce new online gambling laws or update their existing laws to include online casino gambling. Luckily, frameworks for regulatory changes are already being made in both countries. We expect them to introduce their new laws soon so that local online casinos can start operating legally.