How Betting and iGaming Companies in Nigeria Can Ethically Acquire Customers

Discover how Nigerian betting and iGaming platforms can grow responsibly. Learn about regulations, customer engagement, and Yournotify’s multi-channel solutions.

Nigeria’s betting and iGaming scene is booming. Today, industry reports estimate that over 60 million Nigerians (many between 18 and 40) actively participate in sports betting.

Some reports place the value of the sports betting market at about ₦730 billion annually.

With widespread smartphone adoption and rising internet access, betting has moved from the fringes into mainstream entertainment and everyday habit — a transformation that has reshaped both leisure and commerce in Nigeria.

But for many Nigerians, betting isn’t just about money. It taps into something deeper: the passion for sports — especially football — and the collective energy of a young population eager for excitement, community, and a slice of hope.

That energy is precisely what makes betting platforms so powerful. But with that power comes responsibility.

Regulatory Framework Governing Betting in Nigeria

Betting and gambling in Nigeria don’t operate in a legal vacuum. There are regulations that attempt to draw the line between lawful gambling and prohibited practices:

• The Gaming Machines (Prohibition) Act (1977) prohibits the use and ownership of certain mechanical gambling machines.
• The Nigerian Criminal Code Act (specifically Section 236 and Chapter 22) defines illegal gaming houses and spells out penalties for running or occupying unlicensed gambling premises.
• Legal gambling options are limited to certain forms: betting/pools, lotteries, and a small number of licensed land-based casinos.
• Oversight is in the hands of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), which issues licences to legitimate operators.

Because of these regulations, many traditional “casino-style” gaming machines (especially mechanical slot-style devices) are effectively prohibited. That means operators must carefully structure what games they offer and ensure compliance with licensing, KYC (Know Your Customer), fairness, and consumer-protection rules.

How Regulations Affect Customer Acquisition & Retention

While regulation is essential for fairness, consumer protection, and social responsibility, it can also pose real challenges for betting and iGaming platforms. Some of these include:

Limited game offering: Because mechanical gaming machines and unlicensed casinos are prohibited, operators can’t freely offer all types of gambling games. That constrains the variety of products — which may limit appeal for users expecting “global standard” casino-style experiences.

Strict licensing and compliance requirements: Getting a licence, implementing KYC, ensuring fairness and transparency — these add operational costs. For smaller or emerging platforms, that may make it harder to scale, invest in marketing, or expand offerings.

Trust and legitimacy issues: Many Nigerians are wary of “fly-by-night” or unlicensed operators. Regulatory compliance becomes a trust signal — but also a burden. Users may migrate to platforms that seem more “free,” even if riskier.

Marketing and advertising constraints: Ethical and legal obligations may limit how aggressively betting platforms can market, especially to young or vulnerable audiences. This may reduce reach compared to informal/unregulated operators.

Regulatory friction when expanding into iGaming / online casino offerings: The shift from sports betting to casino games or iGaming introduces more regulatory scrutiny, compliance complexity, and potential consumer-protection issues.

In short: regulation is both a foundation for sustainability — and a friction point for growth. The companies that succeed will be those that can balance compliance with smart, user-centric engagement.

Also Read: Email Marketing for Gambling, iGaming, or Casino Industry

Ethical Customer Engagement Solutions for Betting Operators

This is why ethically minded platforms like Yournotify help betting, iGaming, and casino operators — by enabling them to acquire, engage, and retain customers in a compliant, responsible way. Here’s how this work across different channels:

✔️ Email

Welcome & onboarding sequences: On registration, operators can use Yournotify to set automated educational emails explaining how betting works, the rules, responsible gambling tips, and how to stay secure. This builds trust and shows transparency.

Periodic engagement: Additionally, betting operators can set up monthly or weekly newsletters with upcoming matches/leagues, odds highlights, and responsible-gambling reminders. This keeps users engaged without pushing reckless betting.

Re-activation campaigns: For users who haven’t bet in a while, personalised gentle reminders (“See what’s coming this weekend — favourite teams, odds, new games”) can be sent to them to draw them back ethically.

✔️ SMS (Text)

Instant notifications: Using the the SMS engagement feature on Yournotify, operators can send odds changes, match start alerts, cash-out reminders. These are useful for keeping bettors in the loop, especially for mobile-first users.

Responsible-betting nudges: If a user has been inactive or has bet many times without wins, an automated gentle messages about setting limits or taking breaks can be set up. This shows care and builds long-term loyalty.

✔️ Instant-Messaging (e.g., WhatsApp)

Personalized support: Using Yournoify’s latest WhatsApp Messaging, operators can now handle user queries — payments, withdrawals, odds, fairness, with the confidence that message was seen by their customer.

Push informational content: Additionally, the two-way conversational messaging that WhatsApp offers allow operators to share match previews, betting guides, responsible gambling tips, odds updates, and bonus offers in a non-spammy way.

Because platforms like Yournotify make it easy to manage multi-channel communication at scale — and to segment users (new, active, dormant, high-risk, etc.) — they help betting operators stay compliant, ethical, and user-friendly.

iGaming and Online Casino: Opportunities Beyond Sports Betting

It’s not just sports betting. The appetite for iGaming — lottery-style games, virtual slots, poker, card games — is rising in Nigeria. Online casinos and virtual gaming are beginning to attract attention, especially among youth seeking variety beyond football.

But because of regulatory restrictions (especially around gaming machines), operators must tread carefully. This makes transparency, responsible-gaming features, and ethical communication even more important.

By using multi-channel engagement (email, SMS, instant messaging), iGaming and casino platforms can demystify their offerings, build trust, and ensure users understand the risks — while still offering entertainment.

Conclusion & Takeaway: Betting Companies Must Be Ethical — And Smart

The betting, iGaming, and casino industry in Nigeria is vast, passionate, and rapidly growing. With tens of millions participating and hundreds of billions of Naira at stake, the potential is enormous. But with that comes responsibility.

Regulation — while a real hurdle — must be seen not as a barrier but as a foundation for trust. Betting companies that succeed over the long term won’t just chase numbers; they’ll build relationships.

That’s where ethically designed multi-channel communication (email, SMS, WhatsApp) — delivered responsibly — becomes a powerful differentiator. Platforms like Yournotify can enable that: helping companies reach users where they are, engage them meaningfully, and retain them without exploiting vulnerabilities.

In doing so, the industry can grow not just in revenue, but in legitimacy — offering entertainment, community, and hope in a way that respects users, their dignity, and their well-being.