Best Betting Sites in Nigeria for Chinese Residents

For Chinese residents in Nigeria, the first test of a betting site is whether it holds a valid licence from a state regulator such as the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA). We list six operators we could check: Bet9ja, SportyBet, BetKing, Betway, 1xBet (1XBET.NG) and 22Bet. All hold LSLGA licences and accept local payments such as bank transfer, OPay or PalmPay. None of them, as far as we could find, offers Chinese-language support.

Our ranking weighs how firmly we could verify the licence, how easy local payments are, track record and public history. No operator pays for its position. Licences can lapse or be withdrawn, so check lslga.org again before you deposit.

Key points

• All six hold LSLGA licences. A third-party register reading confirms 1xBet’s and 22Bet’s licences run into 2027.
• Bet9ja, SportyBet, BetKing and Betway were on the LSLGA licensee list published in September 2025. We could not check their 2026 renewals on the LSLGA site directly.
• Stake.com, bet365 and Bwin are on Lagos’s illegal list and are excluded.
• Since February 2026, Lagos operators deduct 5% withholding tax from winnings at payout and ask for your NIN.
• We found no operator with a confirmed Chinese interface or Chinese-speaking support.

Ranking at a glance

Operator by operator

1. Bet9ja

Licence: LSLGA (Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority) – KC Gaming Networks Ltd; on LSLGA licensee list reported Sep 2025, 2026 renewal unconfirmed.

Pros:

• Long-established Lagos operator, launched 2013
• LSLGA Sports Betting Operator of the Year (2025 awards)
• Monnify virtual-account transfers, USSD, OPay, Flutterwave and Paystack

Cons:

• Its Enugu shops were closed by court order in Feb 2026 over a licence and levy dispute
• No Chinese interface or Chinese support found

2. SportyBet

Licence: LSLGA – Marawin Ltd; on LSLGA licensee list reported Sep 2025, 2026 renewal unconfirmed.

Pros:

• LSLGA Gaming Innovator of the Year (2025 awards)
• Sporty Group sponsors Real Madrid, LaLiga and Man City
• Very widely used in Nigeria

Cons:

• Ownership not documented by any reliable public source
• No Chinese interface or Chinese support found
• Payment methods not verified from an official page

3. BetKing

Licence: LSLGA – SV Gaming Ltd; on LSLGA licensee list reported Sep 2025, 2026 renewal unconfirmed.

Pros:

• Launched in Nigeria in 2018; MultiChoice owns 49% of parent KingMakers
• Announced PalmPay and Paga partnerships
• LSLGA Community Impact award (2025)

Cons:

• MultiChoice wrote down about $108m on its stake in 2023
• No Chinese interface or Chinese support found

4. Betway

Licence: LSLGA – Digi Bay Ltd; on LSLGA licensee list reported Sep 2025, 2026 renewal unconfirmed.

Pros:

• Local entity of an international brand
• Cards, transfer, USSD and QR via Flutterwave
• LSLGA customer-centric award (2025)

Cons:

• Passport KYC for foreigners only reported by third parties
• No Chinese interface or Chinese support found

5. 1xBet

Licence: LSLGA – Beauforbet Nigeria Ltd (1XBET.NG); register shows active 6 Aug 2026 – 5 Aug 2027 (third-party register reading).

Pros:

• Lagos licence confirmed as active to Aug 2027
• Wide payment choice, including PalmPay
• LSLGA Best Sponsorship Programme award (2025)

Cons:

• Use the local 1XBET.NG entity, not the international site
• Chinese support unverified

6. 22Bet

Licence: LSLGA – Arcadia Hospitality Ltd; register shows active 23 May 2026 – 22 May 2027 (third-party register reading).

Pros:

• Lagos licence confirmed as active to May 2027
• Local payments, including PalmPay

Cons:

• Was on the LSLGA’s Oct 2023 unlicensed list before it got a licence
• Chinese support unverified

How we ranked them

Rather than hide uncertainty behind a single score, we filtered in this order:

1. Licence (pass/fail). The operator must appear on the LSLGA licensee list or register and must not be on the September 2026 illegal list. A 2026–2027 validity period confirmed in a register reading counts for more. If we only have the September 2025 list, we mark the renewal as unconfirmed.
2. Local payments. Bank transfer to a virtual account, USSD, OPay, PalmPay and so on, backed by a reliable source.
3. Track record. Years in operation, regulatory disputes such as Bet9ja’s with Enugu State, and results in the LSLGA’s annual awards.
4. Foreigner-friendliness. Whether a passport is accepted for KYC and whether a NIN is needed to withdraw. There is little public information on this, and we say so in each operator’s cons.

Bet9ja, SportyBet, BetKing and Betway are long-standing local leaders, so they rank first. 1xBet’s and 22Bet’s licence dates are better documented, but both have a history of being unlicensed or of regulatory changes, so they rank lower.

More on each operator

Bet9ja is run by KC Gaming Networks and launched in 2013. Its co-founders are Kunle Soname (chairman) and Ayo Ojuroye (CEO), and it has sponsored the Nigeria Professional Football League since 2022. In February 2026 Enugu State closed its shops there under an ex parte court order, citing refused backend access and unpaid levies, which Bet9ja denies. The dispute doesn’t affect its Lagos licence, but it shows the regulatory risk of operating across several states.

BetKing belongs to KingMakers and launched in Nigeria in February 2018. South Africa’s MultiChoice owns 49% of KingMakers. Its PalmPay and Paga partnerships are handy if you already use PalmPay.

Betway operates in Nigeria through Digi Bay Ltd and takes payments mainly via Flutterwave: cards, transfers, USSD and QR codes.

1xBet‘s local entity, Beauforbet Nigeria Ltd, received a federal NLRC licence in 2020. Since the Supreme Court ruling, what counts is its Lagos licence for 1XBET.NG, so use only the local site.

22Bet was on the LSLGA’s October 2023 list of unlicensed operators. Arcadia Hospitality Ltd now holds an LSLGA licence for it.

Signing up and your first withdrawal as a foreigner

1. Register with the English name on your passport, matching your bank or wallet account.
2. Get a BVN by opening a local bank account. After 2 years of residence you also need a NIN (see the STR and CERPAC guide).
3. Upload your ID and finish KYC before depositing.
4. Make a small deposit and a small withdrawal to test the process before you play normally.
5. Keep deposit and withdrawal records. In Lagos, 5% tax is deducted from winnings at payout.

Why other brands are not listed

Betano (Crystal Gaming Ltd) shows as expired in a third-party register reading, so we are leaving it out for now. MSport and Football.com were on the 2025 licensee list, but we don’t yet have enough payment and operating information on them, and they may be added once checked. Stake.com, bet365, Bwin and N1Bet are on the LSLGA’s September 2026 illegal list. Our operator assessment and licence table covers the method in full.

Tips for Chinese residents

• KYC: you must pass identity checks before you can withdraw. Foreigners usually need a BVN, and a NIN after 2 years of residence. Operators differ on passports, so test with a small amount first.
• Payments: fund your account only from Nigerian accounts or wallets in your own name. See the betting payments guide and the OPay and PalmPay guide.
• Location: Kano and some other northern states ban sports betting. See our overview of Nigerian gambling law.
• Chinese law: don’t top up or collect money for other people, and don’t promote betting sites. Doing so can count as organising PRC citizens to gamble abroad.
• Bet with your head: understand bookmaker margins and bankroll control with our betting maths guide, and see responsible gambling if it stops being fun. Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over.

Sources

• Technext: Full list of legal and illegal gambling platforms in Lagos (16 Sep 2025)
• gamblingmaps.org: LSLGA register reading (20 Oct 2026, third party)
• Technext: Fintech and online gambling (Jul 2025)
• AllAfrica: LSLGA gala night winners (Dec 2025)
• Bet9ja (Wikipedia)
• ThisDay: Enugu State takes on Bet9ja (Feb 2026)
• SportBusiness: Sporty Group
• TechCabal: MultiChoice writes down KingMakers stake (Aug 2023)
• AllAfrica: Lagos 5% WHT on winnings (Feb 2026)
• Gaming.net: Lagos illegal-operator list (Sep 2026)
• Gambling Insider: LSLGA unlicensed list (Oct 2023)
• ThisDay: BetKing in Nigeria
• SBC News: 1xBet NLRC licence (2020)

Facts checked: 2026-10-22 · Niriliya Huaren Editorial Team · How we check facts