Betting on sports online has quickly become a favourite pastime for many, with the excitement and convenience of the entire process meaning that an increasing number of bookmakers are looking to gain a share of the action. Wagering on major sporting action can be extremely lucrative for those who are prepared to put sufficient time and effort into fully researching all areas of betting, whether it be surrounding odds, bonuses and markets.
Whether you are a beginner, recreational of experienced betting customer, it is worth taking on board as much information as possible, with the following guide taking you through some of the most important aspects surrounding sports betting and bookmakers.
Finding the right bookmaker to suit your wants and needs is the first challenge facing betting customers, however it is certainly worth putting in some time before making a final decision. The most important factors to consider are a betting sites range of markets, promotions, banking options and customer service features. Be sure to check out our bookmaker reviews, with customers in Nigeria able to take advantage of domestic and international bookmakers.
It is important to register with a bookmaker who hold a valid gambling license in Nigeria, with security and reliability of great importance when wagering online. This is also important when it comes to promotions, ensuring that customers do not receive any surprises after signing up, with many offers having wagering requirements surrounding them. As well as this, it is key to find a betting site that offers a range of options for both depositing and withdrawing cash, or at least a method that suits your needs. Once you have found the bookmaker that is right for you, with customers of course able to register with more than one site, punters will be greeted by a large amount of information on how to place bets.
Those over the age of 18 in Nigeria are able to open a betting account with a fully licensed bookmaker, with the whole registration process taking just a matter of minutes to complete. Customers are required to provide just a small amount of information, including their full name, email address and age, as well as creating a unique username and password in most cases. Having done so, punters must select from one of the banking options listed, with major credit and debit cards being joined by ewallets with the majority of betting sites. It is also worth baring in mind as to whether the bookmaker has any promo code surrounding their welcome offer, as this may need to be entered at the time of registering.
Those new to the world of sports betting must be careful not to go to big too soon, with small stakes recommended shortly after signing up with a bookmaker. Small stakes mean that when unsuccessful bets are placed, such setbacks will not hit you so hard, leaving money spare for future punts. This is especially important for those who harbour long-term hopes of placing bets successfully, with managing your balance perhaps the most important aspect of gambling in general. However, the majority of bookmakers will provide users with detailed information regarding how to kick-start their activity on their site, with many platforms utilising the same or similar software, making it easier for punters.
The first stage after signing up with a bookmaker is to browse their range of markets, locating some of your favourite events. Having found an appealing market, customers can then add this to their bet slip, before staking an amount that fits in with their betting strategy and objectives.
Undoubtedly one of the best methods of ensuring that every bet counts is to fully research when and how to wager on sports, with bookmakers setting odds in relation to the form of players and teams. Whether it be a pre-match or in-play market, sports betting is uncertain across the board, however there are a number of ways to gain a handle on the marketplace. Successful betting customers will use the same factors in order to develop a betting strategy as the bookmakers do, with the following all being areas to consider before wagering on a particular market:
Form – With the amount of information surrounding sports that is online today, there is no excuse to not carry out research before placing a bet, with the form of a sports team or player likely to have an effect on their performance. So be sure to check out statistics and tips ahead of kick-off or the first shot being hit, in order to give yourself the best possible chance of winning.
Markets – Betting odds are generated by a number of factors, however they can also be effected by popular opinion. So if you feel that a particular market has been priced incorrectly, this can often be the time to strike, as you may well have better knowledge of the market than the bookie in some cases.
Knowledge – Sticking to sports that you know well is hugely important, with knowledge being power more than ever when it comes to sports betting. A large proportion of successful punters will never consider placing a bet in a market where they have little or no knowledge, as this increases the chance of a shock being caused.
Any successful betting customer will keep track of all bets placed, whether this be simply by writing them down on a piece of paper or developing a detailed excel spreadsheet. As well as this, customers should note down the success rate of bets placed, as well as doing the following:
• Review Your Bet History – Most Nigerian and international bookmakers allow punters to check their betting history easily in just a few clicks of a button, meaning that there is no excuse to not review your activity. Some websites will even allow you to download relevant information to your device.
• Maintain a Betting Wallet – Those using an ewallet such as PayPal or Neteller to fund your bookmaker accounts can easily monitor your winning ratio when it comes to betting, as well as manging spending in order to keep in accordance with your objectives and strategy.
• Stick to Your Betting Limits – There is nothing worse than backing up an unsuccessful bet with another wager in a panicked attempt to win your money back. As a result, it is vital to stick to your limits when betting on sports, whether you have set a daily, weekly or monthly limit. This can be done easily by setting a deposit limit with your bookmaker, meaning that this cannot be broken unless a request is made.
Despite there unfortunately being no guaranteed system when it comes to placing successful bets on sporting events, with bookmakers going out of business if there was, customers can still spend time researching markets and understanding sports in an attempt to improve their win ratio. Many punters will choose to stick to a particular strategy after registering with a bookmaker, however complex they may be. It is important to take into account, injuries, form, head-to-head records and motivation before placing any bet, with all potentially having an impact on the final outcome of an event. Overall, systems will have limited success, so although it can be a novelty to place wagers based on mathematical rules, you can’t rely on this as cert.
Making a bet count is perhaps the best way of gaining the most value from each punt, with the following factors worth considering before placing a bet:
• Search for Offers – While there is nothing wrong with being loyal to a particular bookmaker, it is always worth keeping an eye out for other platforms, partly due to the generous welcome offers in which many offer. Registering with a few different betting sites and seeing what they have to offer will help you to potentially add to your bank account, with our odds comparison pages also showing which bookmakers offer the best prices for customers in Nigeria.
• Take Advantage of Bonuses & Free Bets – There are a number of advantages when it comes to using more than one sportsbook, with new customers regularly greeted by potentially lucrative welcome bonuses and free bets, which can provide the perfect platform to kick-start your wagering on.
• Don’t Miss Out on Promotions for Existing Customers – Many bookmakers nowadays offer some form of loyalty scheme in an attempt to maintain customers, with the trick being to find out which ones offer the best rewards, whether it be free bets, money back deals or price boosts. This is an excellent method of adding value to bets placed, as well as collecting some welcome prizes along the way.
• Ongoing Promotions – Log into each of your online betting accounts on a regular basis in order to keep up to date with any ongoing promotions that may be on offer, with many of these offers having time limits surrounding them. Although not all offers are going to fit in with your style of betting or strategy, they can often add value to bets and help to maximise earnings. Free bets are available for both desktop and mobile customers with many betting sites, meaning that it takes just a matter of seconds to keep on top of this.