Sport has always been a passion for many individuals in Nigeria. The most popular sports such as football, basketball attract large audiences and high levels of participation. In recent years, the growth of the Internet has taken this popularity on a slightly different path with the increase in sports betting.

The surge in popularity of sports wagering has been most prevalent amongst the 18-40 demographic with around 60 million Nigerians in this age range actively involved in sports betting. These people are thought to spend an average of around ₦3,000 Naira every day on bets. It’s not surprising that the growth in this area is most obvious in younger generations as they tend to make more use of the Internet across laptops and mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.

This gives them enhanced access to betting opportunities with online wagering a possibility. It also means they can actively participate in betting wherever and whenever they choose using a mobile device.

Younger generations playing a major part in the surge of interest

It’s not only in Nigeria where younger sports fans have embraced the opportunity to interact with their favorite sports in a different way. The expanding sports betting market in the USA has begun to present opportunities to younger fans there as well.

An expert in the field of sports betting gambling provided us with the data;

“Around 50% of 13–39-year-old sports fans said they bet on sports in some way. The percentage increases in the case of millennials where 55% said they bet on sports. For Gen Z, the percentage saying they place sports bets is less at 33%.”

The reason for less Gen Z individuals being involved is likely due to age restrictions. In the USA, as in Nigeria, betting on sports is only permitted from the age of 18. However, it also appears that more Millennials seem to engage with being a sports fan overall than those from Gen Z.

What does the future hold?

Given that data suggests around 53% of Nigerians indicate that they place bets on a daily basis and 39% indicate that they do so “a few times monthly”, it does not seem as though the popularity of sports betting will decrease in the near future.

It’s also interesting to note that in the USA, 37% of Millennials state that they only find sports interesting when betting is involved. This seems to support the theory that the popularity will continue.

However, the situation concerning Gen Z is slightly different as they seem to be less invested in sports betting right now. It will be interesting to see what happens when all of these individuals are old enough to participate in sports betting and whether their attitude will change. Only time will tell what effect Gen Z activity will have on the growth of sports betting in Nigeria and other countries such as the USA.