Nigeria Ranks first In list of Top 6 African countries dominating sports betting

Nigeria has been ranked as number one among the list of top six African countries involved in sports betting.

Sports betting industry has become so much lucrative with millions of users staking everyday, Nigeria has the lion share of players with over 168 million people indulging in it.

GeoPoll’s April 2025 Betting in Africa survey, reports a large percentage of people in many African countries have participated in sports betting at least once.

Either through mobile apps, websites, and betting shops, when combined with mid-year 2025 population data from Worldometer, it showed that sports betting growth is largely driven by the continent’s young population, rising internet access, and widespread use of smartphones.

While Nigeria ranks the list, other countries like South Africa, and Kenya are followed as leaders in Africa’s betting economy.

The table below by Business Insider shows the top 6 African countries with the highest number of estimated sports bettors in early 2025, calculated by combining participation rates with mid-year population estimates.

The above table shows Nigeria ranks number one, with over 168 million estimated bettors, a number driven more by population size than by individual participation levels.

Southern Africa comes second in the list with over 58 million active bettors. In countries like South Africa, where the participation rate nears saturation, a strong regulatory framework and deeply embedded betting culture sustain high engagement, even with a smaller population base.

East African nations, particularly Kenya and Uganda, report some of the highest participation rates on the continent. Here, mobile technology plays a central role, with USSD and app-based platforms allowing widespread access, even in lower-income areas.

Together, these six African countries account for over 440 million bettors, highlighting the scale of the continent’s sports betting economy.