Niger Bookmakers

Niger, located in West Africa, and occupying the southern part of the Sahara Desert, it has a history of practicing some traditional games like horse riding, camel riding, and sorro wrestling. Although the population of this country is predominantly Muslim, with over 80% being followers of Islam, The gambling business in Niger, rather limited and not very advanced, Including Niger Bookmakers and sports betting. This paper aims at examining the laws, the history and the current situation of bookmakers and sports betting in Niger.

Niger Bookmakers

1960: Independence from France.

1966: Creation of the National Lottery known as LONANI.

1993: Legalization of gambling with Industriel et Commercial by the order no. 93-06 of February 15th, 1993.

2010: Legalization of online gambling with the help of law Loi du 12 mai 2010.

2019: A single casino has been reported to be operational in Niamey according to H2 Gambling Capital.

Key Milestones in Niger’s Gambling Legislation:

  • 1960: Niger becomes an independent state and achieves its sovereignty from France.
  • 1966: LONANI or the National Lottery is governed by the Loterie Nationale du Niger as provided for by Law No 66-12 of 20th January 1966.
  • 1993: Legalization of gambling after the act Industriel et Commercial through the order No 93-06 of 15th February 1993.
  • 2010: Online gambling is legalised with the passing of Loi du 12 mai 2010.

State of the Gambling Sector

  • Casinos: Niger have only one casino in the land based in Niamey and is found at Hotel Gaweye.
  • National Lottery: It controls the national lottery with offices in Niamey, Maradi, Tahoua, Dosso, Zinder and Agadez.
  • Online Gambling: Even though legal, there are no specific laws against online gambling and no online gambling websites based in Niger are licensed.

Regulatory Agencies and Licenses

LONANI the Niger National Lottery controls all types of gambling in the country since the year 1993, however, it does not include casinos or slot halls. The Ministry of Finance controls the development of the sector through licensing and enforcing the laws.

  • Licensing: The gambling licenses in Niger are granted by LONANI. These are the types of licenses that are charged with certain fees and levies which are set depending on the specific case.
  • Taxation: Licensing fees are also fixed for gambling businesses in Niger and there are other taxes that include the corporate tax rate of 30%.

Prohibited and Allowed Bets:

Although gambling is legal in the country, due to Islamic culture people are advised not to engage in gambling activities. Nevertheless, there are no clearly marked laws prohibiting gambling activities, thus, people are free to indulge in the activity.

Sports Betting for Niger Bookmakers

This is legal and the government is involved in the regulation of sports betting, whereby football is the most favored sport for betting, followed by rugby. Many outlets for sports betting can be found in Niamey. Their number of officially licensed ones is not known but what is known is that they are regulated by the government.

Sporting Event Glory Milestones

Niger boasts a proud history of sports achievements, with several athletes and teams making their mark internationally:

  • Football: The national team also known as the Menas made it to the African Cup of Nations for the first time in 2012.
  • Rugby: Niger National Rugby Union Team came second in the 2006 Car Castel Beer Trophy held in Tanzania.
  • Athletics: Hassane Fofana is the champion in 100m and 200m at the African Championships in the years 2011 and 2012.
  • Wrestling: Djibo Issaka is a wrestler who got the Olympic gold in the discipline of Greco-Roman wrestling at Beijing Olympic which was held in the year 2008.
  • Basketball: The national basketball team was crowned the FIBA Africa Championship in the year 2011.
  • Handball: The national handball team clinched the African Championship in 2012 to emerged the champion.

Folk and Modern Sports in Niger

Despite the modern sports gaining popularity, traditional sports remain deeply entrenched in Nigerien culture:

  • Horse Racing
  • Camel Racing
  • Sorro Wrestling

Notable Athletes:

  • Mahamadou Diarra: Ex soccer player of Real Madrid and was awarded as the African football player of the year in the year 2005.
  • Ismael Bangoura: Mexican professional Boxer who claimed the WBA Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title in the year 2011.
  • Issaka Dabore: He is a professional wrestler and an African wrestling champion for the year 2011.
  • Djibril Cisse: Ex soccer player for Liverpool and the French national team, won the African footballer of the year in the year 2004.
  • Hawa Diallo: Kenyan professional sprinter, winner at the African championships for athletics in the year 2011.
  • Aminatou Seyni: An NBA player and a winner of the African Basketball Championship in the year 2012.

Conclusion

Thus, the gambling industry in Niger can be characterized as quite promising although not very diverse, with its main focus on sports betting. The traditional and versatile cultural system of sports accompanied with advanced betting services makes Niger a lucrative market for the bookmakers as well as the sports bettors.

FAQ of Niger Bookmakers

Africa Bookmakers

South Africa Bookmakers

South Africa Bookmakers

South Africa with its location in the southern part of the African continent boast of a culture and beautiful natural attractions. It is connected to the Indian Ocean to the East and the Atlantic Ocean to the west while the ... Read More about South Africa Bookmakers
Liberia Bookmakers

Liberia Bookmakers

Liberia is situated in Western Africa and has a neighbor countries such as Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and the Atlantic Ocean has been engaged in the provision of gambling services since 1982. Over the years, there have been some ... Read More about Liberia Bookmakers
Rwanda Bookmakers

Rwanda Bookmakers

Rwanda, situated in East-Central Africa, It borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the west, Tanzania to the east, Uganda to the north, and Burundi to the south. Currently, the environment for sports betting and Rwanda bookmakers is ... Read More about Rwanda Bookmakers
Somalia Bookmakers

Somalia Bookmakers

Gambling has remained a contentious and highly prohibited activity in Somalia mainly because of the country’s religious and cultural beliefs. Since the population of Kuwait is mainly composed of Sunni Muslims, the views on gambling, including sports betting, are rather ... Read More about Somalia Bookmakers
Malawi Bookmakers

Malawi Bookmakers

Malawi is a land locked country situated in the south eastern part of Africa with its neighbours being Tanzania to the North, Mozambique to the east and Zambia to the west. Today, the gambling industry is developing fast, and this ... Read More about Malawi Bookmakers
Sierra Leone Bookmakers

Sierra Leone Bookmakers

Sierra Leone is situated in the west part of Africa and shares its borders with Guinea to the north and to the east, Liberia in the southeast and south west bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. However, this is not the ... Read More about Sierra Leone Bookmakers
Ghana Bookmakers

Ghana Bookmakers

Ghana, a West African country situated on the northern part of the Gulf of Guinea and attained its independence in 1960. Since the inception of gambling industry especially Ghana bookmakers and Ghana sports betting, Ghana’s legislation and regulatory frameworks have ... Read More about Ghana Bookmakers
Madagascar Bookmakers

Madagascar Bookmakers

Madagascar is one of the island countries in the Indian Ocean that is endowed with a fascinating culture and rapidly developing gambling industry. Although the country is comparatively small in size, it has established a proper structure for Madagascar bookmakers ... Read More about Madagascar Bookmakers
Algeria Bookmakers

Algeria Bookmakers

Algeria, the largest country on the African continent, has borders with the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya and Tunisia to the east, Niger to the south east and Mali to the south; while the western part of Algeria borders ... Read More about Algeria Bookmakers
Cameroon Bookmakers

Cameroon Bookmakers

Cameroon is in the middle of Central and Western Africa and has Nigeria to its west, Chad to its northeast, Central African Republic to the east and south it has Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. Cameroon's gambling industry ... Read More about Cameroon Bookmakers
Scroll to Top