AfroMillions woos Nigerians with $2.8M lottery jackpot

UK-based gaming provider Ofertas365 has dangled a historic NGN1 billion (US$2.8 million) jackpot to lottery players in Nigeria to mark the company’s expansion in the African continent.

The British company announced on Monday that it will formally launch AfroMillionsLotto this month, in support of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Football is said to be the most popular sport in the African continent.

James Leppard, chief executive officer of Ofertas365, said AfroMillionsLotto was supposed to be launched last month but they decided to move it to September in order to give all the clubs the same chance to market to their fans.

All 20 NPFL clubs are to be branded with their own page on the AfroMillions website where people can buy tickets online for the twice-weekly draws, as well as enjoy a range of Instant Win games.

“All the football clubs and charities in Africa have the need for additional funding and our lotto partnerships offer them the potential to enjoy significant, recurring revenue streams. It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” said Leppard. “The ability to partner with African football clubs and charities means we’re able to piggyback on well-established brands who have a ready-made target audience for us to market to.”

In a business perspective, Leppard pointed out that Africa has become more attractive in terms of investment due to exponential growth in internet and mobile phone use.

Citing a study conducted by industry observer Research & Markets, Leppard pointed out that the projected African lottery growth rate in the coming years is 8.85 percent. Technavio, another industry observer, forecasts annual growth of 9% between 2017 and 2021.

Aside from lotteries, Leppard said that sports betting business is also booming in the region.

“In both cases, growth in Africa is forecast to be higher than averages elsewhere in the world. Whilst there is little information on the growth of lotto, sports betting per se is showing an upward trajectory,” Leppard said. “A report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) found around 60 million Nigerians aged between 18 and 40 spend up to N1.8 billion daily on sports betting, with an average spend per person of N3,000 every day. We expect online gaming in Africa to outpace other regions, particularly appealing to the internet-savvy millennials.”

In an earlier statement, the lottery company said that players over the age of 18 may play the lotto and set-up an account on the AfroMillionsLotto website. Players can deposit money using their credit or debit card, e-wallet or cash voucher, which they will soon be able to purchase through various points-of-sale.

They then choose a line of six numbers ranging from 1–49 and an additional bonus number from 1–9 before buying a ticket.

“Lottery is popular in Africa for the same reason it is popular everywhere. It offers people the chance to win large amounts of money which fuels everyone’s dreams,” Leppard said. “The prospect of winning a life-changing jackpot for a small stake will always be popular. However, this is particularly true in a continent where incomes are generally low and the economy is often in a state of flux. “