Nigerians are crazy about playing the lottery, largely due to the fact that lotteries are one of the three types of gambling permitted in Nigeria, and because they can yield enormous pay-outs.
Play International Lotteries Online
As popular as land lotteries are and have always been in Nigeria, a growing number of Nigeria lottery fans now choose to buy tickets over the internet for the world’s biggest and wealthiest international lotteries.
These include instant multi-millionaire makers like Powerball, EuroMillions, Mega Millions, Oz Lotto, UK Lottery, El Nino Raffle, El Gordo, Oz Powerball, Lotto 6aus49, El Gordo Navidad, Mega Sena, SuperEnaLotto, EuroJackpot, SuperEna Max, Loteria Nacional Extra, France Loto and La Primitiva to name a few.
This is made possible by a number of enterprising Nigerian-friendly lottery ticket sites or more specifically, online ticket agents, the best of which you’ll find listed below.
By signing up for a free account with any of these sites, and making a safe and secure deposit, you’ll be able to buy tickets for the globe’s richest lotteries from the privacy and security of your own computer, laptop or smart phone or device.
Click on any of these Nigerian-accepting online lottery firms to purchase your lotto tickets today:
Most Popular Lotteries in Nigeria
At time of writing (April 2017), the National Lottery Regulatory Commission reported on its website that it has 28 “approved promotional lottery schemes” operating in Nigeria. That said, three top Nigerian lotteries to look out for include Gab Lotto, Anambra State Gaming Company and Superior Games Ltd. Here is a breakdown of each:
Gab Lotto
As one of the most recognisable and frequently played lotteries in Nigeria, Gab Lotto has a slew of point of sale (POS) terminals installed in outlets and shops across the nation, where you can purchase fixed odds lottery tickets that can yield you massive jackpots.
Gab Lotto is known for offering three games - Two Sure (NAP2) and Permutation, Three (3) Direct (NAP3) and Banker. This operator has a sterling reputation for being fair and always paying out winning ticketholders.
To ensure its ongoing transparency and that it adheres to responsible play polices, Gab Lotto works closely with the NLRC, as well as respected state lottery authorities including the Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB).
Anambra State Gaming Company
In 2016 a joint venture partnership between Global Gaming Co. Ltd and the Anambra State Government resulted in the formation of the Anambra State Gaming Company (ASGC), the Nigerian state of Anambra’s official gaming operator.
The ASGC operates a state lottery, casinos, slots, pools, raffle, and sports betting amongst other gambling activities. Since its launch in 2016, the Anambra State Gaming Company has yielded a handful of instant millionaires, which it is why it attracts such so many players every week.
Its initial launch “Become A Millionaire Lottery Programme” was an enormous success, as word of mouth gave the newly formed state lottery tremendous traction amongst players in the state eager to win themselves life-altering amounts through the purchase of affordable tickets.
Superior Games Ltd
Licensed and regulated by the Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB) under approval of the Lagos State Lotteries Law 2004, Superior Games Ltd is another leading Nigerian lotto operator that is renowned for its two lottery brands - Superior Bet and Big Games.
Where Superior Bet gives players the opportunity to ager on various sports such as football, basketball and tennis, and even virtual horse and dog racing, Big Games is the operation’s highly successful lottery arm, which attracts tens of thousands of avid players each week.
Comprising three fixed odds lotto games - Global Games, Mega Millions and Super Games, Big Games has become a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian lottery scene since its launch.
Nigerian Lottery Gambling Legislation
Nigeria does not have a specific piece of legislation that covers all things gambling. What it does have, however, are Acts that contain within them certain provisions or clauses regarding gambling in the nation, which is where Nigerian lottery gambling legislation comes into play.
The country’s stance towards lotteries is covered under section 240 of Chapter 22 of the Criminal Code Act. Under the Act, “lottery” is broadly explained to mean any device, method or game where money or equivalent is won / paid out based on chance.
Section 240 of the Act explains that a “public lottery” is any lottery game that can be freely accessed by the public in Nigeria through the purchase of a “lottery ticket”.
It goes on to say, however, that anyone who writes, prints, publishes, or causes to be written, printed or published, any lottery ticket, or any announcement relating to a public lottery, faces a 100 Naira fine or up to six months in prison. In other words, Nigeria takes its lottery games very seriously and frowns upon fraudulent activities or scams connected to lotteries.
The only instance where non-public lotteries, sweepstakes or raffles can be run in Nigeria – such as by a private club within its grounds solely for its members and immediate guests - is if express permission has first been sought from and granted by a government Minister.
Said Minister can by notice in the Federal Gazette extend the provisions of this section by granting to a club a temporary licence authorising that a lottery, sweepstakes or raffle (solely for entertainment purposes) can be offered, subject to meeting certain conditions.
Failure to adhere to the conditions listed under this type of lottery license, however, can result in those at fault (from the event organisers to the people who partook in the lottery or raffle) being fined 40 Nair or even being sentenced to as much as six months in prison.
National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC)
All public lottery games must be authorised by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Nigeria’s official lottery governing body. So popular were lotteries in Nigeria that the government passed the National Lottery Act of 2005 to add some much-needed regulation to the ever-expanding industry, as well as to launch the NLRC.
The NLRC has many objectives, such as to promote accountability and transparency amongst Nigeria’s many lottery operators, as well as to protect the interests of players, the general public as well as lottery stakeholders. It also carries out periodic assessments of the Nigerian national lottery, before submitting a report to the President and the National Assembly.