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Online Gambling in Uganda

Uganda is a nation with a fairly well-developed gambling industry. In particular, sports betting has taken off in the country as a way for people to place a bet on their favorite football (soccer) teams or attempt to make a little extra money on the side. As Internet access becomes more common in the nation, online gambling has also gained in popularity, though the growth of the industry hasn’t been without social consequences for the developing country.

Best Betting Sites for Uganda – October 2024

4.5/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 493 people this week
Up To $1000 Welcome Bonus
Terms and conditions: The bonus code is only valid for a new customer's first deposit and must be redeemed immediately after the deposit and before a wager has been placed. The sum of the deposit and the bonus are subject to rollover requirements of 8x at min. odds of -200 (1.5) before a new bonus can be redeemed or a withdrawal can be made. Max. $1000 of each bet count towards the rollover requirements. Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
MasterCard
Bank Transfer
Neteller
Paysafecard
Skrill
Bitcoin
+5

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • AUD
  • CAD
  • USD
  • Competitive sign-up and promotional offers
  • Excellent statistics section to aid customers
  • Pain-free deposit options
  • Accepts both high and low limit bettors
  • Lengthy and expensive withdrawal procedure
4.5/5
Rated by 267 users
Claimed by 424 people this week
125% up to $3,125
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
MasterCard
Bitcoin
American Express
Moneygram
Ethereum
Litecoin

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • Premier destination for US bettors
  • Racebook covering daily races
  • Esports and virtual sports markets
  • In-depth sports stats and tips
  • Intuitive live betting markets
  • Limited withdrawal options
4.6/5
Rated by 504 users
Claimed by 340 people this week
Get 125% Deposit Boost to bet on sports up to $1250
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
MasterCard
Paypal
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Dogecoin
Ripple
+4

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • LTC
  • XRP
  • Deposit and bet using BTC
  • Choose from 25,000+ markets
  • Bet in-play on a huge range of sports
  • Get paid quickly with no fuss
  • Friendly customer support agents
4.57/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 370 people this week
100% Up To $1000
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

Bitcoin
BitcoinCash
MasterCard
Person to Person
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • LTC
  • USD
  • Generous bonuses and promotions
  • Great range of betting markets
  • Extensive racebook
  • Very good customer service
  • Only a few withdrawal options
  • Fees for withdrawing funds
4.62/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 286 people this week
100% Up to $1000 + $25 casino chip
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
MasterCard
Bitcoin

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • Trusted by publications such as ESPN
  • Access a dedicated racing section
  • Crypto-friendly sportsbook
  • Adjust odds format and time zone
  • Support options include call back
  • Quite low sportsbook limits
4.5/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 192 people this week
50% Up To $1000
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

Bank Wire
Bitcoin
Cheque
Discover
MasterCard
Neteller
Skrill
+1

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • USD
  • Accepts players from all over the world
  • Known for their live betting offers
  • Lots of secure banking options
  • Great bonuses and promotions
  • High fees for some deposit options
  • Support agents are often slow to reply
4.5/5
Rated by 313 users
Claimed by 177 people this week
50% Up to $250
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

Amex
Bitcoin
MasterCard
Rapidtransfer
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • Top-rated US online sportsbook
  • Mobile site for iOS and Android users
  • Diverse range of betting markets
  • Excellent customer support options
  • Lines come out very late in the day
  • Odds not as favorable as other books
4.5/5
Rated by 232 users
Claimed by 251 people this week
15% up to $600
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
Show More Details Show Less Details

Payment Options

Amex
Bank Wire
Bitcoin
Cheque
MasterCard
Neteller
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BPS
  • CAD
  • EUR
  • Popular book that accepts large max bets
  • Huge focus on football and basketball
  • High-spec live in-play platform available
  • Downloadable client for Windows & Mac
  • Odds are not amazing on non-US sports
  • User interface could be improved

Betting Sites Available

Uganda has long licensed the gaming industry, and that has included sports betting, which has proven to be the most popular form of gambling in the country. There are a number of different regulated sites that are available to players here, though many foreign sites have also targeted the market here. Given the government’s lack of effort in stopping these overseas operators from flourishing here, they are a serious competitor to the approved sites.

In regulated form, there are a couple of operators who stand out as particularly major players here. EliteBet and Worldstar Betting are among the biggest players, with Betin, SBA Uganda, and ABA Bet also being important names in the sector. Many of these firms are regional powerhouses: in particular, Worldstar is known for being on the larger African bookmakers, and also operates dozens of land-based shops in the nation.

Payment Options

When it comes to African sports betting, there is one deposit method that stands out above all others: mobile payments. By charging payments directly to users’ mobile phone bills, there is no worry about whether a customer has a bank account or other traditional financial instrument, something that would make it difficult for many Ugandans to participate on such sites.

Generally, making a deposit through this mobile deposit method requires having an account on a participating mobile provider.

In Uganda, there are several popular carriers, including MTN, Airtel, Orange, and UTL. You can use the mobile money bill paying feature through their phone in order to transfer funds to the bookmaker instantly. Withdrawals can often also be processed back to the same phone account.

Because of the proliferation of live betting companies (particularly in Kampala), making cash deposits at these locations is also possible when dealing with companies like Worldstar. In addition, foreign sites may offer other options that are more commonly used internationally, such as credit cards, e-wallet solutions, bank transfers or prepaid products. While not all of these will be supported here, they may provide additional alternatives for some players.

Popular Sports to Bet

The most popular sport in Uganda is football, and not surprisingly, this is also the most common sport for citizens to bet on in the country. From local and national team matches to the major competitions of Europe, there’s never a shortage of matches for gamblers to bet on, nor a shortage of people who are willing to place a wager or three on their favourite teams.

That’s not to say that there aren’t other sports that are popular in the country as well. Basketball has recently gained popularity in the nation, and international gambling on tennis, volleyball, cricket, and rugby is also common. North American sports like baseball and American football also get a fair amount of attention, and larger sites offer plenty of exotics, including emerging markets like e-sports.

Flag of Uganda

Gambling Laws

Nestled north of Lake Victoria in East Africa, the Republic of Uganda is one of the world’s largest landlocked nations. While still a relatively impoverished nation, the country has benefited from rapid economic growth in recent decades, with the capital of Kampala benefiting far more than the poverty-stricken rural areas of the country. Perhaps best known to many foreigners for the brutal reign of dictator Idi Amin, today Uganda is a republic, albeit one that has been led by the same president (Yoweri Museveni) since 1986.

Ugandan gambling regulations began in the 1960s, a time during which many African nations looked to take control of gaming and use casinos and lotteries as a source of income.

The National Lotteries Act of 1967 and the Gaming and Pool Betting Act of 1968 were instrumental in laying down the framework that exists in the nation to this day.

However, it is important to realize that for most of the time since then, this was only a very loose framework at best. This led to two major problems. First, there were too many operators in general, which targeted a population that could scarcely afford to live their daily lives, let alone spend money on placing bets. In addition, it was hard to control the proliferation of illegal shops, which lacked even the loose controls of licensed operations and provided absolutely no tax revenue for the government.

Those issues began to be addressed in 2013, when the licensing fees for gaming companies were raised to the equivalent of $3,500. In addition, the National Lotteries Board also took steps to limit where gambling venues could be established, keeping them away from churches, schools, markets, and other public facilities.

Under current law, most forms of gaming that are popular worldwide are legal here. Casinos, bookmakers, poker, lotteries, and bingo are all offered (though the lottery is only available through a national state-run drawing). In addition, online gambling is authorized and regulated, with some land-based operators also holding iGaming licenses for the same kinds of games they offer in their brick-and-mortar establishments.

Land-Based Gambling

Land-based gaming is surprisingly popular in Uganda, considering the lack of wealth in this nation. However, the industry begins to make a lot more sense when you realize that it is most concentrated in Kampala, the relatively cosmopolitan capital city where incomes are higher than in most of the country.

That city is where you will find all of Uganda’s full-scale casinos. The largest of these are actually quite luxurious, catering to both upscale Ugandans and foreigners who are visiting the city for business or pleasure.

For instance, Kampala Casino offers a variety of table games and slots, alongside a restaurant and other amenities that make this feel like more of a traditional resort experience. Also popular is their sister venue, the Pyramids Casino, While the Mayfair Kampala offers about 25 slots and another 16 tables for players along with complimentary food and drinks.

More common for the average Ugandan is a trip to the local betting shop, which can offer up the same variety of bookmaker options seen at online sites.

Many international firms have set up shop here, as there are more than 70 registered betting companies in the nation. While they are all over the place, once again the capital is the heart of the industry, where many shops offer free Internet and other amenities to attract bettors.

Taxes

While information on gaming taxation in Uganda is not easy to come by, it does appear that players pay taxes on their winnings in the form of a withholding at the time they receive their prizes. This is at least true for sports betting, thanks to a 15% withholding rate that was put into place in the 2014-15 budget.

What is clear is that gambling operators pay taxes, as you would expect from any licensing scheme. The government takes in nearly $5 million each year in gaming tax revenue, a reasonably large amount considering the low incomes of most citizens. However, it is likely that this number could be far larger were it not for the flourishing illegal betting shops that are just as (if not more) frequent than licensed operations.

The Future

There seems to be little danger that sports betting and other forms of gambling will be eliminated from Uganda anytime in the near future, with even opponents seemingly being resigned to the fact that it is here to stay. However, there does seem to be some momentum in place for better regulating an industry that may need to be reined in a bit for the good of the country – and perhaps for the long-term viability of the sector as well.

There are many problems that need to be addressed. In any community, it tends to be the poorest citizens who are most negatively impacted by gaming; extend that to a nation where most individuals cannot afford to gamble, and it is easy to understand how many can see the rampant availability of betting options as a major social ill. Issues ranging from poverty to gaming-related violence have caused some local municipalities to ban sports betting operations, and have left many others asking for better controls to ensure that online licensed venues are allowed to operate in the country.

President Yoweri Museveni has also made overtures that suggest he would support efforts to tighten regulations on the gambling industry. In December 2016, Museveni gave a speech that suggested that Ugandans would continue to suffer high rates of poverty if issues like gambling and home-brewed alcohol were not addressed by his administration.

Outside of government intervention, we also expect Ugandan bettors to follow the trends seen all over the world when it comes to a move to mobile wagering. While Internet penetration is still rather low here, it is increasing yearly, as is access to mobile phones. That, along with mobile-centric banking options, will likely continue to attract more gamblers to Internet gaming in the years to come.