SportyBet Nigeria is one of the newest introductions into the Nigerian betting sports market with an operation officially launched in 2018. The betting company already ennjoys immense success in Kenya, Tanzania and some other parts of Africa and now it’s developing strong roots in Nigeria with a base in Lagos. It is because of SportyBet’s relative newness that they have a very limited sports betting market with very little range in their game library. This places it at a very serious disadvantage compared to the more established betting sites like NairaBet, NaijaBet, and Bet9ja that all offer a host of different markets. However, if there’s one the success of SportyBet in other African countries has thought us, it is that they can compete in any market given enough time to flex and they look primed to do so.
The fact that SportyBet Nigeria is still new doesn’t take away from how reliable it is as a betting company. It is still extremely fast due to it’s relative small size and niche focus. In addition to a few amount of sports market, there is also the availability of virtual sports and jackpot.
SportyBet Nigeria is licensed and regulated by the Lagos State Lotteries Board(LSLB) under License No. 0000355.
Website
And with Nigeria being a country crazy for football, it has roped in former Arsenal star, Nigerian international footballer and Olympic champion Nwankwo Kanu as its brand ambassador as it makes strides to become a top betting site.
It has also invested heavily on its customers with a dedicated round the clock customer service providing 24-hour client benefit. Their client benefit group is an industry chief in this regard.
In addition are its forceful rewards that are a most beloved for punters irregardless of their sporting preferences with Sportybet’s wide menu of choices, chances and wager types.
The Sportybet Nigeria website uses a black, red and green colour scheme with an easy to navigate user interface on the desktop view keeping with the bookmaker’s principle of keeping everything simple.
The main products on offer have a prominent display on the top menu of the desktop site with useful tabs such as sports, live betting, livescore, virtuals, jackpot, promotions and not forgetting Sportybet’s mobile application.
Sportybet’s mobile version also has a bespoke simple user interface available on all Android smartphones and tablet devices. Everything that’s on display on the site’s desktop version is also at home in its mobile version too.
The site also provides statistical information on events as reference during betting for you to make informed decisions on your wagering.
Markets and Odds
We said that our first impressions were good and a huge part of that was down to the amount of sports that appeared to be available. And now we have looked a little closer, we are happy to report that the first impression does appear to have depth.
First off, we’d like to note that there are sites out there with more sports options. What is available at the time of writing at SportyBet includes; football, basketball, tennis, rugby, cricket, volleyball, ice hockey, handball, darts and beach volley. So, it’s a solid list of popular options but is lacking some of the more left-field possibilities available elsewhere.
However, what makes them stand out from the pack is the sheer amount of options within those sports. When they say they cover football, for instance, they mean everything from the Premier League to Ligue 1 and beyond. SportyBet is a site which focuses on providing the best version of what it does, and that means that on the face of it, other bookmakers may have more options. However, few have this level of depth to those options.
There were 292 games markets available when we checked at random, and a game between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth had 118 betting markets to choose from. And that’s not the only manner in which sports coverage is extensive here. You can also check out the results from relevant sports and tournaments throughout the world and follow the games via live graphics, which we’ll discuss in more depth a little later on.
In terms of margins, we’ll use the same example. A home victory had odds of 2.13, which is an implied probability of 46.9%. A draw had odds of 3.50, which as a percentage is 28.6%, and an away win has odds of 3.51, or 28.5%. Altogether, that is 103.2%, so a 3.2% overround or margin, which is very respectable.
Overall, we are very impressed with the sports options at SportyBet. We admit that some more sports markets would be preferable to cater to those with less mainstream tastes. The lack of esports is a touch disappointing. Having said that though, every sport that is covered is done so impeccably.
Live betting
SportyBet has a simplified live betting process for all customers. Because of its live score and always running update, in-play odds are placed directly besides teams and customers are allowed to choose from a wide range of options like the team to score next goal, next goalscorer and many more.
Football is the most played sport on the live betting column and SportyBet has been more than good to offer lots of options not offered by other bookies with good odds to complement them.
Other sports too, like Volleyball, Tennis, Basketball, Hockey are also prominent in the live bet column and they also get the luxury of juicy odds.
For now, SportyBet does not offer live streams during their live-in plays so we can only assume they’ll add this in the nearest future. This would also help bring more customers for sure.
SportyBet also has a swift response cash-out option for customers who are not willing to risk all. They also have the partial cash-out option which makes them stand out from other bookmakers. Their partial cash-out allows you to make less than the full cash out as desired by the customer.
Jackpot
Sportybet Limited has a jackpot that keeps punters very active on its page. You stand a chance of being the grand winner when you predict the correct outcomes for 12 selections. This is a weekly affair.
To take part in the Jackpot, you need a minimum of N100 in your account to place the bet. You must also have registered your account with Sportybet. For those members who predict 10-11 of the 12 outcomes correctly, they are awarded smaller prices for their efforts too. It is possible to make more than one prediction on one match to increase your chances of getting the correct outcome.
This platform offers you the Jackpot Rush option that gives you an outcome of one random selection out of the 12 and is charged N100.
Mobile App
To cater for growing demand, the first SportyBet mobile app has been released for Android devices. Of course, if you use a different device, or you don’t want to download the SportyBet app, then you can use the responsive web-based platform.
The app only weighs 6MB which makes it super lightweight and very fast and responsive. You have all of the same great features including live score, jackpot betting and virtuals. It offers pre-match and live betting with full and partial cash out available. Navigation is straightforward. The head slider menu has all the action areas. Simply click on where you want to go and narrow down the options until you find your match.
First Deposit Bonus
This bookmaker gives new members a 100% bonus on their first deposit. This is limited however to N10000. Register your account and activate it. Deposit an amount into your new account and Sportybet Ltd. will grant you an equal amount too. This is provided the amount doesn’t exceed N10000.
This bonus is what the site refers to as Discount Gifts. The gift starts getting used up the next day after your first deposit. There are certain rules however that must be adhered to with this bonus. You can only claim it once as a new sign-up. The gift has an expiration date so it’s best to use it as soon as possible.
This bonus is limited to the sports market only and cannot be used in any other market. You can only use this gift for selections that have odds higher than 3.15. The gift is divided into different categories and only one category can be used per betting slip. Make sure you register using the site and not using marketing promotions if you wish to receive the bonus.
Other Bonuses
Currently, SportyBet Nigeria offers just a few promotions and a deposit bonus. Do however expect this list to grow and we advice keep checking from time to time
Below you can find the promotions and bonuses offered by SportyBet Nigeria. Please do note that certain terms and conditions apply and must be met before any pay out can occur. Take the time to understand these before jumping in. And without further ado, here are the promotions:
SportyBet Nigeria Super Bonus
This is a SportyBet bonus that offers players the chance to win a bonus of up to 135% on multiple bets. Players can expect to take part in this offer from all available events and markets. There must be a minimum of 4 selections on your betslip with a minimum odd of 1.2. Terms & Conditions apply.
SportyBet Nigeria Match of the day
This bonus offer enables new players get an odds boost from matches that are selected as SportyBet’s match of the day. This offer covers the 1X2, O/U and the Next Goal markets. All you have to do after placing your bets is click the Live Odds Boost icon for the qualifying bet on your betslip to boost the odds.
Sportybet Registration Process
It’s quite easy to become a member of this bookmaker which is an added advantage. No one wants to deal with lengthy registration processes. Theirs is precise and to the point. It takes only a few minutes. Access a computer with an internet connection to get started.
- Open a blank browser page
- Key in the official company website sportybet.com/ng/to access the Nigerian version of the site
- Click on ‘Register’ on the top right corner
- Fill in your mobile number on the pop-up registration form
- Select a password you can remember and fill it in
- Click on ‘Register’ and your account will be automatically activated.
- Progress to depositing funds into your account
Deposit
It’s quite easy to deposit on the sportybet platform, the minimum deposit amount is 100 Naira, and the various deposit methods are fast. Sportybet collaborates with Nigerian local banks so, deposits are easily accessible. The different deposit method includes:
- Access bank
- Fidelity bank
- Zenith
- Union bank
- Other banks
Bettors can also use their debit cards to make a deposit, supported cards include
- Verve
- Master card
- Visa card
- Quickteller
Withdrawal
Bettors can make a withdrawal via bank transfer to almost all Nigerian banks; the minimum withdrawal is 1,000 as a transaction fee will be added to withdrawal below 1,000.
The maximum withdrawal is 9,999,999.00. Bettors who bet through sportybet offline partners can also withdraw on their online platform by filling the offline withdrawal form with their partner’s code. Note withdrawal currency is in Nigeria Naira.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Competitive odds especially on football matches.
- Registration, deposits and withdrawals are done free of charge.
- The multiple and system type of bets allow you to place bets on different sports on the same betslip e.g. football, basketball, tennis etc.
- Dedicated 24/7 customer service that is among the best of all bookies in Nigeria.
Cons:
- A time display in accepting the cashout request is in place. This means that if a price changes or a market suspends, then the cashout of the original amount request may not be successful.
- Sportybet does not have lotto services providing the jackpot in place.
- The bookmaker has a shorter menu of markets compared to other bookies in Nigeria
Service and Customer Support
This is a mixed bag. On the plus side of things, the Help section in general is very good. It doesn’t include absolutely everything we would want to know, but it does include most things and is pretty well written. There’s also a live chat function, which appears to be available 24/7, although we couldn’t get confirmation on that.
Unfortunately, we had some technical problems which led to it taking a long time to get a response. We don’t think this is typical and we certainly hope not: all we can see it that our experience could have been a touch quicker. However, when we did get a response, it was clear that customer service was trying their best to help as much as they could, which is very much appreciated.
All in all, there’s a little room for improvement and we hope the experience of other customers is smoother and that the issues we faced were an anomaly.
