Where is Betting in Uganda Headed?

Uganda plays home to a rich betting culture, with a landscape that is loaded with over 2000 different gambling and betting operators. But where is this culture headed? What is the product of this immensely populated betting and gambling industry?

It is well known that the Pearl of Africa, Uganda’s affectionate nickname, was a protectorate of the british empire since 1984, but with the move to independence in 1962, led by Milton Obote, came a refreshed and more local framework to regulate and oversee gambling. 

The fact that the practice has been overseen for over 6 decades means that Uganda has a richer and longer legal betting history than one of Africa’s front running gambling hubs, South Africa, where betting sites only began becoming legal in 1994. 

This long and steady gambling history reaches past the nation’s inception as an independent state, with reports suggesting that a game by the name of Omweso had been extremely popular amongst both young and old. 

Now that we have a better idea of where Uganda has been in terms of betting and gambling, where is the nation headed with this activity? Reports suggest that the country is in dire need of an intervention, as this long standing gambling culture has begun to turn sour. 

Today, with the advancements of the betting and gambling industries, which have closely tailed the revolution of technology have played a massive role in the story of betting in Uganda. 

Factors such as mobile penetration and gambling product availability have begun having adverse effects on many Ugandans. 

For nearly a decade now, local media have been relaying a sad, and shocking message to the people of one of Africa’s most beautiful nations; problem gambling has unfortunately infected a once pure and enjoyment filled gambling space. 

Reports of alarming numbers of youthful Ugandans experiencing serious social issues related to problem gambling have occupied local media stories to such an extent that many have started to wonder what could be done to solve the problem. 

The severity of the situation became such that president Yoweri Kugata Museveni announced a ban on sports betting in 2019, further declaring that  no new licenses would be provided to operators, and no licenses would be renewed for already licensed operators. 

Naturally, the reason for this drastic measure was informed by the many stories of problem gambling, especially in youth, that populate Uganda. It is reported that problem gambling plays a role in a growing unemployment bracket, which is especially harming young people in Uganda.

But is banning sports betting the right call? In other nations where sports betting and online gambling have been banned, users still engage in these activities through illegal means, putting themselves and their money at greater risk. 

Again, to cite South Africa as an example, online gambling portals such as Springbok Casino remain illegal, but this platform is still used by thousands of players every month. 

Some may argue that a possible solution to this multifaceted problem is educating users, and establishing a heavier focus on support for those with gambling addictions, but nobody is at liberty to know of a possible solution to solve this problem.