Gambling Laws in Ethiopia
It's important to be aware of your local gambling laws before you bet online, as some other countries (or states) restrict online gambling either through outright bans or by forbidding banks to process betting transactions. Fortunately, Ethiopia is not one of them. There are currently no restrictions, so Ethiopian players have nothing to worry about.
Finding the Best Online Operator
Online gambling is not very popular in Ethiopia, so it's understandable that potential players might not know what to look out for when looking for the most suitable online vendor. The most important thing is security.
Make sure that the online operator offers safe transaction methods and has anti-fraud policies that can recover your losses in cases of malevolent activity. Here's a list of the main characteristics to look for:
- Safe transactions
- Anti-fraud policies
- Good encryption software
- Responsible gambling tools (options allowing the player to set a limit on how much money they spend betting online and/or the ability of the operator to temporarily suspend the player if they suspect a gambling addiction)
- Clear and concise terms and conditions
- User-friendly interface
- Vast collection of sports to bet on
- Lucrative promotions
We also recommend learning more about the top sports betting sites operating in Ethiopia that are defined here. Make sure to check the license numbers of every betting site you visit. If the website lacks a license number and the web design looks unprofessional, we suggest you exit immediately.
Online Betting Pre-Requirements
In order to bet online, you first need to create an account in a betting website. You'll usually be asked to provide a form of identification (like an ID card or a driver's license) to verify that you're over the legal gambling age (18 in Ethiopia).
Then, you need to add a form of online payment, which could be a debit/credit card or some type of online wallet like PayPal. Voila! Now you only need to choose your sport!
Types of Sports to Bet on
We believe that good operators provide their players with many sports to choose from. Football is the most popular sport in Ethiopia, and you can bet on games of the BetKing Ethiopian Premier League, or you can extend your options to BPL, UEFA or any other football league, the choice is yours!
Alternatively, you can bet on basketball, volleyball, hockey, tennis, baseball and many more. Remember to always bet on sports you're familiar with and to research the teams of your choice (e.g., standing in the league, past games, injuries etc.).
Types of Sports Bets
Depending on the sport you choose, you'll be able to make different types of sports bets. Let us focus on football betting as it's the most popular option in Ethiopia and the world. The simplest football bet is betting on which team (or teams if you bet on multiple games) will win the game, but you can bet on virtually anything.
You can bet on how many goals each team will score, who will score the first/last goal, how many yellow/red cards there will be and much more. These highly specific bets usually have higher odds, which translates to bigger payouts, but be careful when you make them as the risk is also higher.
When to Place your Bets
Usually, a player bets before the game starts, which used to be the only option in many land-based operators. However, online betting completely changed the scene with their live betting option, which allows you to cash out before the game has ended, or amend your bet, or place additional bets.
This makes one's betting experience more exciting as the player can check the odds changing while watching the game and act accordingly. Live betting is not permitted everywhere, but this doesn't apply to Ethiopia, so feel free to amend your bet during the game.
Bonuses
Once all betting websites have covered the necessary conditions - reliability, game variety, live betting - it's time to talk about what more they can offer the player. The sports betting industry is highly competitive, so expect to be offered bonuses!
Before you even create a betting account, look for lucrative welcome bonuses. For instance, some vendors offer to match your first deposit, which means that you have your deposit multiplied by two in your account. Always read the terms and conditions beforehand.
Other betting sites sometimes offer you free bets, which means that they cover a specific amount you can use to place a bet. This is the most sought-after promotion.
There's also a money back bonus where the betting site offers to give your money back if you lose. Apart from the bonuses discussed so far, there might be additional bonuses for loyal players.
Conclusion
We hope this information will be useful to you when you place your sport bets. If you're a big sports fan, but you don't know much about traditional Ethiopian sports, check out this article.
