Sports betting in Africa has exploded in the last 10 years. In recognition of this growth, more foreign-based online bookmakers are making an entrance into the industry. The biggest markets in the industry are currently in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The overall gambling market including sports betting, online lottery and online casinos in Africa has generated a revenue of 1.62 billion USD with a projected growth of over 8% per year, making it one of the fastest-growing online industries on the continent.
In this article, we explore the sports betting markets in Africa with a particular focus on Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa as well as some other countries where English is also commonly spoken (e.g. Cameroon). In order to determine the best online bookmakers in your region, we have created detailed bookie reviews for each bookmaker available in the aforementioned countries. The following is the current list of the best betting sites in Africa:
- Very large sportsbook
- Many payment options
- Great betting app
- Regular multiple promotions
- Competitive odds
- Lots of promotions
- Large sportsbook
- Easy to use
- Good sports betting offer
- User-friendly Android and iOS App
- Competitive odds
- Country specific payment options
- Lack of promotional offers
- No 24/7 user support
- Good welcome bonus
- Large sportsbook
- Excellent customer support
- Only available in Zambia
- Paying with cryptocurrencies
- Smooth betting app
- Huge amount of betting markets
- Website a bit crammed
- EXCLUSIVE bonus offer
- Live betting experience
- Live streams
- Payment methods in some areas
- vast live betting offer
- big welcome bonus
- mobile payment options
- stats features lack depth
- extensive sports book
- strong odds, boosts & promotions
- ₦100,000 welcome bonus
- challenging bonus wagering requirements
- One of the leading bookmaker worldwide
- Many betting offers & large sportsbook
- Livestreams
- No local currencies
- competitive odds
- fair payout rate (avg. approx. 94%)
- excellent Premier League odds
- no bet builder option
- User-friendly interface
- Large sportsbook
- Helpful customer support
- No native iOS app
- excellent sportsbook with many betting options
- very good live betting offer
- fair odds
- lack of payment options as only Mpesa is available
- Trustworthy
- Very good support
- Limited live betting options
- Straightforward navigation
- Fantastic odds
- Excellent customer support
- Missing payment options
- Large Sports Book
- Strong Odds
- Numerous Deposit Options
- Many Promotions
- Variety of Esports bets
- User-friendly interface & design
- Very good welcome offer
- No native app for iOS devices
- User-friendly website
- Safe & reliable bookmaker
- Many promotions
- No 24/7 customer service
- ₦500 freebt als welcome bonus without deposit
- High payout rate
- Many Promotions, bonuses
- No native betting app
- Vast array of betting markets
- Live streams
- Attractive bonus offers
- Mobile app could use a rebrush
- Withdrawal takes a bit long
- huge sports book
- plenty payment options
- Powerful Betting Apps
- Only Casino Welcome Bonus
- Odds Boosts
- Huge betting program
- Good mobile betting experience
- No 24/7 customer service
- Fast and simple registration
- Many betting markets
- Limited payment options
- Customer support needs improvement
- Nice selection of promotions
- Numerous betting tips
- 24/7 customer support
- Partly high withdrawal fees
- User-friendly website
- Fair odds payout rate
- Large sportsbook
- Payments only mobile
- No welcome bonus
- Many betting promotions
- Huge welcome bonus
- Deposits only via Mpesa
- Small sportsbook
- User-friendly
- Very good support
- Top free bet bonus
- Live betting is average
- Cashout tool available
- Live streams
- Average odds
- Large sportsbook
- No payment fees
- Live Chat support
- Little payment options
- No live streams
- High payout rate (up to 97%)
- Huge football & basketball offer
- Great usability
- Limited payment methods
- Native apps for iOS and Android
- Promotions and price boosts
- Odds payout rate in some sports
- Customers service not 24/7
These bookies were chosen based on several factors, i.e. the user experience, the promotions they offer, customer service and support, available betting options and customer opinions and transparency.
Best bookies in Nigeria
Nairabet was the first online sports booking platform in Nigeria. It is estimated that the daily expenditure on sports betting tops NGN 2 billion ($5.5 million). Betting in Nigeria is popular amongst those aged 18 to 40, with over 60 million people within this cohort placing bets on sporting events on a regular basis.
Based on our tests and research, the top four betting sites in Nigeria are Bet9ja, Paripesa, 1xBet and Betway, in no particular order. Bet9ja, a sports betting website, is the third most-visited website in Nigeria with over 66 million monthly visits, 94.29% of which comes from within Nigeria. On the other hand, 1xbet enjoys over 3 million visits per month.
Most bookies such as Paripesa, 1xBet and Betway – offer a welcome bonus equivalent to a customer’s first deposit. For Paripesa this can be up to NGN 100,000, for 1xBet sports betting a 300% bonus of up to NGN 145,600 awaits, while for Betway it can even be up to NGN 250,000. All these bookies offer local payment methods such as Paystack, Quickteller and direct bank transfers.
Overall, betting in Nigeria has been growing in leaps and bounds, and it is expected that this will continue to grow over the coming years as availability of internet access continues to rise and mobile banking reaches more Nigerians.
Kenya betting sites
As of 2020, the Kenyan sports betting market was worth $40 million or roughly over 2 billion Kenyan Shillings (KES), which marked a 100% increase from the revenue data in 2015. It is expected that the industry will continue to grow exponentially as sports betting in Kenya becomes increasingly popular. In terms of market share in Africa, Kenya already ranks third after South Africa and Nigeria in sports betting revenue. To gauge the popularity of sports betting in the country, you need look no further than the fact that 11 of the top 20 searches on Google in Kenya were related to betting in Kenya.
Based on our analysis, we have selected 1xbet, Helabet, 22bet and bet365 as the top international betting sites in Kenya. However, domestic bookies like Betika and Bangbet also enjoy great popularity in Kenya, which is mainly due to the fact that large international sportsbooks (such as bet365) often do not cater to the regional needs in terms of payment solutions (e.g. mobile money options such as M-Pesa and Airtel). So with both international and domestic bookies competing for customers, Kenyans can be sure to get the best offers. In conclusion, the industry for betting in Kenya is booming and attracting major betting brands.
Online sports betting in Ghana
Online sports betting has been considered one of the fastest growing markets in Ghana as more and more people own smartphones and have mobile access to online sportsbooks. By early 2023, Ghana had become one of fastest growing betting nations worldwide, which has led to an increase in applications for licenses under the authority of the Gaming Comission of Ghana. Currently, over 30 bookmakers are licensed to operate in Ghana, making it one of the most competitive markets in Africa. Betting fans can hence benefit from plenty attractive welcome bonus offers as bookmakers try to outperform market rivals.
If you want to engage in betting in Ghana, then the best websites to check out include 22bet, Betway, 1xBet and OdiBets. 22bet’s welcome bonus is 100% of the user’s first deposit. 22bet’s welcome bonus can be up to approximately 750 cedis, 1xbet’s welcome bonus can be up to 500 cedis, while Betway fixes its welcome bonus at 50% of the first deposit up to 200 cedis. OdiBet on the other hand provides it’s new customers a Free Bet worth GHS 3.
Mobile wallets are the most popular form of payment for sports betting in Ghana. Examples of popular mobile wallets include MTN, AirtelTigo, and Vodafone Cash among others. Overall, betting in Ghana still has a lot of room for growth. However, with betting sites such as Betway, Odibets, 1xbet and 22bet, the industry is on the right path.
In summary, the African sports betting market has seen unprecedented growth in the last 10 years. With an expected growth in the number of people with mobile wallets and access to the internet, the industry is still on the upswing. Our bookmaker reviews should help you finde the best betting sites across key sports betting markets in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. The next few years should be interesting ones for these countries. You can use our betting tips and football prediction for tomorrow to make the most of a booming industry.
More information about our bookmaker tests
Everything you need to know about bookies
Sports betting is becoming more and more popular, partly due to the rise of the internet and the rising number of bookmakers offering their services online. All these companies try to woo new customers with special offers and bonuses, making it easy to lose track but more and more necessary to compare offers.
To help you with this task of keeping an overview of more than 30 betting providers, we have analyzed the most important and established bookies to bring their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the different bonuses they offer, to light. Here you can find our best betting strategies.
What do you have to know about bookmakers?
We offer all the information you need on various bookmakers like Bet9ja, Betway, 22bet or 1xBet. For this we analyze the history of the sportsbetting providers, for example where the company is located and when it was founded by whom. Many bookies use their proximity to sports and sponsor successful and renowned teams to get attention and market themselves.
Users want to have all the information on different betting providers and that is why we have studied different sports bet brokers. Here we have analyzed a number of different things – usability of the websites, accepted payment methods, how long it takes for a payment to go through, the types of bets offered and the quotas the different betting providers offer. Of course there are many other details that customers are interested in, this is why we also share our experiences with different bookmakers. Many bookmakers also offer live stream coverage in addition to their betting and casino portfolio, which is particularly interesting for live bets because it helps react to unexpected occurrences. To be able to place an informed bet it is important to gather information beforehand, which is why sporting bet providers offer a number of statistics and data.
Our conclusion from the betting provider tests is that there are usually 10 really good or above average bookmakers available in your region, which are listed on our sites. Many other bookmakers fail to keep their promises and we strongly advise against registering with a dubious betting site.
We also tested the mobile sportsbook versions from different bookies. The reviews are listed in our best sports betting apps section.