The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLRGB), working with the Uganda Police Force, has seized more than 123 illegal gaming machines during a coordinated enforcement operation across the Greater Katonga region as the regulator intensifies its nationwide campaign against unlicensed gambling businesses.
The operation targeted illegal gaming outlets in Mpigi, Mabuye, Katende, Kalagala and Nakirebe, where enforcement officers confiscated machines operating outside Uganda’s licensing framework.
At the same time, the board’s Greater Masaka enforcement team carried out compliance inspections in Kyanamukaka, Lukaya, Kyotera, Mitondo, Katondo and Kyanjale to verify that gaming operators were complying with licensing and regulatory requirements.
“Our enforcement team working closely with Uganda Police confiscated over 123 illegal gaming machines during a coordinated operation across Mpigi, Mabuye, Katende, Kalagala and Nakirebe in the Greater Katonga region,” the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board said.
The board said the latest operation is part of an ongoing nationwide enforcement campaign aimed at protecting players, eliminating illegal gambling businesses and ensuring that only licensed operators offer gaming services in Uganda.
“We will continue to crack down on illegal gaming operations while promoting a safe, fair and responsible gaming environment in Uganda,” the board said.
The Greater Katonga operation adds to a string of recent enforcement actions that have seen the regulator remove hundreds of illegal gaming machines from different parts of the country, including Greater Masaka and other regional compliance zones where unlicensed betting and gaming outlets have been shut down as part of intensified inspections.
The board has maintained that illegal gaming businesses undermine licensed operators, deny government tax revenue and expose players to unfair and unregulated gambling practices.
Under the Lotteries and Gaming Act, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board is mandated to license, regulate and supervise betting, casinos, lotteries and gaming activities in Uganda while promoting responsible gaming and working with law enforcement agencies to dismantle illegal gambling operations across the country.
