{"id":4238,"date":"2025-06-24T06:51:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=4238"},"modified":"2026-04-19T16:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T19:07:03","slug":"new-billing-model-raises-stakes-for-nigerias-igaming-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/new-billing-model-raises-stakes-for-nigerias-igaming-players","title":{"rendered":"New billing model raises stakes for Nigeria’s igaming players"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nigeria\u2019s booming betting sector faces fresh hurdles and changing player behaviour as telecoms shift USSD costs to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Nigeria.- Nigeria\u2019s mobile first economy is undergoing a seismic shift that is already sending ripples through the igaming and sports betting industries. The country has officially implemented End User Billing (EUB)<\/strong> for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)<\/strong> services, transferring the cost of accessing these essential telecom features directly to mobile users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For millions of Nigerian bettors, especially those stuck in internet slow lanes, this tiny fee might just be the nudge that makes them think twice before placing their next bet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, banks bore the financial burden of USSD session charges used for mobile banking, wallet top ups and bet placements. But with EUB in place, telecom providers now deduct N6.98 (about $0.005) every 120 seconds from users\u2019 airtime when they access USSD codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, MTN is quick to wave away worries, insisting this change won\u2019t make wallets any lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThe customers were already paying for this. The only difference now is that rather than deduct it from your bank account, it will be deducted from your airtime,\u201d said Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria Lynda Saint Nwafor<\/strong>, according to Techeconomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many platforms rely heavily on USSD for critical functions such as wallet funding, account verification and user engagement. However, with every USSD interaction<\/a> now hitting the user\u2019s airtime, casual players and those making micro transactions may become more cautious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EUB in full swing as banks clear debt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The policy change follows the resolution of a long standing dispute between Nigerian banks and telecommunications companies over unpaid USSD service fees. A whopping N180 billion ($122m) was owed to telecommunications companies by banks. This week, 13 of Nigeria\u2019s 16 commercial banks cleared N171 billion ($116m) of the debt, unlocking the path for full EUB implementation. \u201cWe have recovered about 95 percent of the outstanding debt,\u201d said Gbenga Adebayo<\/strong>, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis massive repayment paved the way for the full rollout of end user billing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ease the transition, telecom providers<\/strong> have standardised error messages across networks, helping users identify whether issues arise from banks, telcos or third-party services. There is a silver lining as direct USSD codes used for airtime and data purchases remain free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Nigeria embraces EUB, the country\u2019s digital economy stays on course. But now, for millions of mobile users and igaming enthusiasts, the cost of convenience will come straight out of their own airtime balance.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Nigeria’s USSD billing shift may hit gamblers’s pockets<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s booming betting sector faces fresh hurdles and changing player behaviour as telecoms shift USSD costs to users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2396,"featured_media":4252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Nigeria has implemented End User Billing (EUB) for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services, shifting the N6.98 per 120-second cost directly to mobile users' airtime. This policy change, following the resolution of a significant debt dispute between banks and telecommunications companies, is expected to impact the iGaming and sports betting sectors by potentially deterring micro-transactions and altering player behaviour, particularly for those reliant on USSD for wallet funding and bet placements.","focusai_entities":"MTN, MTN Nigeria, Lynda Saint Nwafor, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo","focusai_location":"Nigeria","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.8), compliance_legal (0.7), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.85), product_ux (0.85), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.85), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (1.0), gambler_consumer (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.95)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Operator Revenue Impact","query":"What is the projected GGR and NGR impact on major iGaming operators in Nigeria, considering the potential reduction in micro-transactions via USSD and shifts to alternative payment rails?"},{"label":"Regulatory Response","query":"How will Nigerian regulatory bodies, such as the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, adapt their oversight or licensing frameworks in response to the altered payment landscape and its effect on consumer access to regulated betting?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60025,60022,60012],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-4238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-article","category-finance-news","category-west-africa","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4238"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4259,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4238\/revisions\/4259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}