Many people wonder what gambling market in Nigeria looks like. We decided to gather some of the most frequently asked questions to dispel all doubts about the Promatic Group’s operational activities in Africa.
We are talking to Paweł Paliwoda, CEO of the Promatic Group.
E-PLAY: What is the legal situation of gambling in the Nigerian market?
Paweł Paliwoda: Gambling in Nigeria is overseen by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. All games have been divided into two categories: classified and unclassified. The catalog of classified games includes lotteries, casino games and sportsbook. The unclassified games are covered by card games, dice and roulette. This does not mean, however, that unclassified games are forbidden – they can be legalized and used in accordance with the law by casinos that have a special type of license. The online game space is not strictly defined in the legal matter, however, companies operating in the iGaming industry in Nigeria are obliged to comply with the same rules as specified for stationary casinos.
How long has Promatic been operating in Africa?
We started our expansion in Africa in 2015. We are currently present in as many as 15 states of Nigeria, we own several game centers and we have our own offices in Lagos with a team of employees fully trained for providing professional service and caring for our local partners and clients.
What products can be found in the Promatic Nigeria offer?
Our portfolio of products dedicated to the Nigerian market has grown rapidly over the last two years.We always try to adapt all our devices and equipment offered locally to difficult working conditions due to high humidity and possible problems with electrical infrastructure. Our cabinets: Terminal 24, Panorama 24, Twin 19 and 21, our Multigame collections – Inferno, Turbo, Energy and Classic, our Single Game – Dragon Legends and our online gaming B2B platform Promatic Games – all match the local market changing needs and requirements.
One of the products that is gaining more and more popularity is 9JACKPOT – a three-level global Jackpot system designed specifically for local customers that in terms of winning amounts can easily compete with the local lotteries.
What is the Promatic offer on SBWA+?
During the Sports Betting West Africa + trade fair, which will take place between 23-25.07 in Lagos, apart from our signature products, we will also present a new 9JASLOT machine, that includes seven most-popular games by Nigerians.
Another new release that we will showing during the fair is our unique “9jackpot Virtual Games Terminal”, designed from the scratch to fulfill the needs for the biggest group of Nigerian players and the most popular entertainment in Nigeria – sports betting. Yet, our Virtual Games Terminal presents a completely new betting experience. Players have the option of placing bets on winning a given team in the English and Nigerian leagues, as well as they can bet on the exact result of the match. For horse racing enthusiasts, the player, in addition to placing a bet on a winning horse, may also choose the first three places on the podium. While designing the virtual game machine, we focused on the disciplines and games that are most popular among customers in Nigeria, including: football (English league and Nigeria), horse racing, dog racing, and Spin 2 Win Africa Deluxe.
What kind of entertainment do the Nigerians prefer?
Although slot games are well-known and popular among the local community, bookmaking is by far the most popular in Nigeria. Local residents have many betting centres to choose from, where they can use the laptop to bet on their favorite football team or the best tennis player, for instance.The results are usually displayed on TV’s that are placed on the wall. This type of game is ubiquitous not only in the real world, but also in the virtual one as bets include both games taking place in the real world, as well as those that are offered in the virtual game format.
Although sportsbook receive a great deal of attention, the form in which they are presented most often leaves much to be desired. We wanted to change it – to meet the expectations of our clients in Nigeria, we provided them with a product that they will feel comfortable using and that is only dedicated to their favorite entertainment type. We have created a completely new product, designed from scratch as a virtual game terminal. Creating this product we primarily have taken into account the player’s comfort as well as intuitiveness and ease of use. It is much more convenient to use your favorite entertainment on a machine created specifically for this purpose than on a laptop that is often already exploited. Despite sports betting is the most popular, there are few places that offer products like ours.
What achievements in Nigeria are you particularly proud of?
We are proud that our products can be found in as many as 15 Nigerian states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, River State and the capital – Abuja. We are happy that our products are present in the largest casinos. Also, we are very satisfied with how warmly our 9JACKPOT brand was received by Nigerians. The first encounter with the terminal of our virtual games also brought many positive comments, which allows us to believe that this product will gain great popularity as well.
Where can you observe your activities in Nigeria?
We refer to our website, dedicated to activities in Nigeria promatic.ng/. We also kindly invite you to follow our official profiles in social media, where we always reveal the backstage of our activities (facebook, linkedin, twitter), and the local – Nigerian profile on facebook – 9JACKPOT.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to warmly invite everyone interested in cooperation to the upcoming Sports Betting West Africa +, where we will be proudly presenting our latest products. The fair will be held in Lagos on 23-25.07. See you there!