Gambling is deeply woven into Ugandan entertainment culture, centred overwhelmingly on football betting. Regulated since the late 1960s, Uganda has one of Africa’s longer legal gambling histories, evolving from early lottery and betting laws into a mobile-money-fuelled sports-betting boom. Football, especially the English Premier League, dominates, and youth participation is high, driving both a thriving industry and persistent religious and government concern, including a high-profile 2019 attempt to curb the sector.

A long, liberal history

Uganda took a comparatively liberal approach to gambling early on, with formal regulation dating to the late 1960s under the National Lotteries Act 1967 and the Gaming and Pool Betting (Control and Taxation) Act 1968, following independence in 1962. For decades the visible face of gambling was casino gaming in Kampala. From the 2000s the industry diversified rapidly, propelled by rising internet penetration, cheap smartphones and mobile money, into mass-market sports betting and, more recently, online and virtual gaming. Today the regulator says the overwhelming majority of gaming activity happens online.

Football is king, both as a sport and a betting market. Ugandan punters wager heavily on the English Premier League, alongside other European leagues, virtual sports, crash-style games such as Aviator, casino games and national and instant lotteries. Poker features in Kampala’s land-based casinos. The current legal framework, the Lotteries and Gaming Act 2016, covers lotteries, betting, gaming and casinos across both land-based and online channels.

The 2019 ban and its aftermath

In January 2019 President Yoweri Museveni directed that no new betting licences be issued and existing ones not renewed on expiry, citing the harm betting was doing to Uganda’s youth, a concern strongly echoed by religious leaders. In practice betting continued, and the sector is today actively licensed and supervised by the NLGRB. The regulator has reported resolving nearly 90% of disputed payout complaints in a recent financial year, settling 112 of 125 claims, and requires licensees to post a security bond that can be used to compensate players.

Attitudes, concerns and responsible gaming

Gambling remains socially contested. Religious groups and policymakers continue to raise concern about youth participation and problem gambling, and the state has leaned toward tighter oversight and higher taxation, including a 15% withholding tax on player winnings and a harmonised 30% operator tax from 1 July 2026. The NLGRB has rolled out Responsible Gaming Directives (2025), a self-exclusion register and a toll-free support line (0800 285 800), and runs public-awareness campaigns targeting groups such as students and boda boda riders. A separate GamCare Uganda initiative also promotes responsible gambling.

18+ only. Gambling should be entertainment, not income. If it becomes a problem, use NLGRB self-exclusion tools and seek help.

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