Online gambling in Uganda – Attracting gamblers from all around the world

Players all over the world are usually concerned about strict gambling regulations and think that restricting certain types of games may prevent them from benefiting as much from online gambling sites, as they would love to. But on the other hand, nobody wants to have problems with the law while participating in various gambling activities online which is why it also a common opinion that a legal online gambling market is necessary for players’ safety. For those who are still hesitating, not knowing whether they would like a strictly regulated gambling landscape in their country or not, Uganda is the best place to gamble online!

Uganda is a mix of these two common opinions as gambling is legal in this country, but they don’t have certain kinds of laws that would strictly regulate the market. Therefore, it’s widely considered that online gambling in Uganda is under-regulated, and although it’s legal for those at the territory of the country, residents, in general, are aware of the possible harms which may be one of the reasons why there are no major land-based casinos within the borders of Uganda.

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Overview

Ugandan online casinos

Online casinos, as well as some physical gambling venues in Uganda usually attract lots of people from all around the world. The country is a pretty interesting place for gamblers worldwide because it’s just a small African nation with many specific aspects when it comes to gambling. It’s hard to find another nation on the African continent with this kind of combination of limited regulation with pretty much trustworthy licensing. At a national level, the type of gambling activity that is well-regulated is sports betting, while other types of online gaming are considered as a legal, but gray area.

However, sports betting is so well-managed. There are a number of the best casino sites to play on in Uganda that provide possibilities to place bets on various sports activities. As a result, gambling industries in other African nations usually try to learn something from Ugandan law and imitate their jurisdictions to regulate the gambling market in their countries. Today it’s already a widely known fact and therefore popularity of gambling in Uganda rises at a fast pace and more and more players from every corner of the world are taking part in the activities provided by online casinos in this country.

But still, even thriving gambling markets like in the UK or Malta have several problems and especially today, when online gambling is attracting new customers every day who have no idea how to gamble safely and avoid losing money, being deceived by the online casino providers or revealing their personal data to strangers. This is why we believe that providing detailed information about Ugandan online casinos and in general, about the gambling landscape of Uganda is necessary for everybody who has decided to play online games on the websites of this country.

Why should I read this article?

Although there are a lot of high-quality websites on the internet that offer new players possible chances to have benefits while using other services, still, you can find lots of scammers on the internet today. Therefore, in this article, we will explain general laws about land-based and online gambling in this little African nation, compare their service to those of other countries and try to give you insights about responsible gambling and all the important details to play safe and have the best experience possible. Clearly, you can have fun while playing on the websites provided by Ugandan providers, as they offer generous welcome bonuses, excellent choice of online slots, and many more, but we recommend considering our key points and try to gamble safely.

Popular Ugandan online casinos

Even though widely-spread opinion about most African nations is that they have a low quality of life, and Uganda as well is sometimes referred to as one of the poorest countries in the world, it has nothing to do with the online gambling market which is almost flourishing nowadays. In fact, players all around the world can find lots of reliable online destinations to gamble and have fun without any worries. Even more, the overall situation in the country may not be really satisfying and they really do have some economic-related problems but recently even the government noticed that leaning their economy on the gambling market is quite a good idea to boost the economy because the iGaming industry has seen enormous profits during last few years.

online gambling in UgandaToday online gambling operators provide more reliable websites to enjoy your desired games than you can imagine. On the Ugandan online casino’s list, you can find literally every kind of website. Specifically, while gambling online in Uganda you can find excellent quality ones that offer a wide choice of game selection created by the most reputable software providers in the world, generous welcome offers,  fair wagering requirements, fantastic customer support team, authoritative licenses, and many other attractive features. Also, there are average gambling sites where you can still have a good experience as they have normal welcome bonuses, many different games that can satisfy your needs and help you gain benefits, but also there are lots of websites that have a bad reputation and considered as scammers and what we recommend is to be careful with them and try to avoid every single website in Uganda with an uncertain license and a small number of unreliable providers.

If you are reading this article, probably you are either a resident of Uganda or decided to play on the best online casino Uganda, so it’s important to note that the gambling industry plays a big part in the nation’s economic growth as online gambling operators in this country pay 20% tax on the revenue. Not only operators but just gambling admires also have to pay 15% tax on their winnings to the government which currently owns a monopoly over the market. As a result, the major regulator of the gambling industry, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) gained almost $10 million in 2016 from all the regulated gambling facilities, including online and offline casinos of Uganda. Because many online casinos in this country provide wonderful service and attract not only local customers but also many different types of players all around the world, it’s not a surprise that the online gambling market has such a huge impact on Uganda’s economic condition. Now let’s see exactly are the characteristics of gambling in this country and what are the general gambling-related regulations.

How gambling works in Uganda

To fully understand the gambling-related situation in Uganda, firstly, let’s discuss some general aspects. Uganda is a small landlocked country in East Africa which borders Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania. Currently, it is one of the poorest countries in the world and also, is the second most populated nation in East Africa where gambling is extremely popular.

gambling ugandaThe capital of the country, Kampala is known for its best gambling facilities. Particularly, there are not many gambling facilities in the country but some of them that do exist are mainly situated in Kampala which is considered one of the fastest-growing cities in the world as the number of the population increases rapidly. But also, the capital is famous as a fabulous place to live and participate in gambling in East Africa. Believe it or not, sometimes it is even compared to New York City because nightlife in Uganda is pretty special. There you can take part in Ugandan casino slots or engage in different activities, but in any case, the gambling atmosphere in this country is nothing like those of the other African nations. The city never sleeps at night and once you go out in the streets, you can certainly find a way to entertain yourself and enjoy the nightlife.

Not surprisingly, gambling is on the rise in Uganda. Today the same can be seen in the whole of East Africa as more people have an access to phones,c computers, and the internet in general. The increased rate of internet penetration is the main reason why they can easily take part in online gambling activities using their devices, but even if they don’t still, people can participate in various gaming forms because betting is a big business in Uganda. There are lots of betting shops and online casino slots in Uganda. The market generates a big amount of tax revenue for the government. Therefore, they see a huge profit from the gambling market and this is why the government believes that gambling should e better controlled to keep the industry growing. For this, they provide new controls and try hard to restrict the activities of foreign betting companies which are the main competitors for the Ugandan market.

Land-based gambling in Uganda

Unlike online gambling, the land-based gambling industry in Uganda is not very favorable. There are not many physical casinos in the country unlike other African nations like Kenya or Nigeria, but the available ones are attractive places to have fun for the locals as they bring some nice gaming variety for them. What this means is that there may not be so huge a selection of land-based casinos, but it doesn’t mean that the service they provide can’t be outstanding in the African continent, just like the service provided by the best online casino sites in Uganda. Usually, gamblers who take part in these physical activities know that even between this limited choice of gambling activities, they can find something suitable for them and satisfy their needs.

Land-based gambling UgandaSome of the most popular land-based casinos in Uganda are the Taj Mahal, Pyramids, and Casino Kampala. Among them, the Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino is especially attractive for those who live in the city center. The casino has an excellent game selection and there you have the opportunity to take part in common games of roulette, blackjack, or the special Texas Holdem. However, unfortunately for the slots-lovers, the casino lacks slots machines as it’s more of a hotel than a casino.

But things that you can’t find in this land-based casino, can be found in an amazing-looking casino of the Pyramids. They offer dozens of fantastic slots games to choose from and make the atmosphere of Ancient Egypt with their amazing sculptures. But these high-quality Ugandan casino slots are not the only special aspect of their service. Also, it’s an attractive place for poker players because the casino offers lots of regular poker tournaments and every player is allowed to take part in various sports competitions. But if you prefer bigger land-based casinos, you should go to its sister company, Casino Kampala which is recognized as a casino with the most experienced dealers in the region of East Africa.

What are the most popular gambling activities?

Uganda’s gambling market is pretty diverse. People in this country usually take part in many different gambling-related activities, like sports betting, poker, bingo, lottery, or casino gambling. But indeed sports betting is by far the most enjoyable form of gambling for locals. Placing bets on domestic or international sports events has almost become a national-level activity, as so many people in the country tend to regularly do so.

Despite the Ugandan online gambling market is thriving today, as we already said, the level of internet penetration is increasing in Uganda, but for this time the rate is not really favorable. In fact, the current level is about 25% and this may be the reason why most of the bets are placed with the help of land-based casino operators. But it doesn’t mean that internet betting and mobile betting can’t be on the list of the most popular gambling activities in Uganda. Today smartphones are not very common in Uganda, but more than 200 million people over the continent use different types of phones and have access to the internet. Therefore, it’s not really hard to take part in online sports betting which is well-regulated by the government. There are many licensed betting platforms in Uganda but also, players are accepted on offshore websites from foreign firms. But keep in mind that not all Uganda online casinos are licensed and many of them are still illegal, as the state doesn’t harshly regulate the market.

General Ugandan gambling regulation

Now let’s discuss the general jurisdiction of the Ugandan market. Gambling is mostly legal but not regulated in this country. However, there are some gambling-related laws and also, it is believed that there will be some progress soon. Major changes in Uganda’s gambling industry were made back in the 1960s and for now, two main laws that regulate the market are the National Lotteries Act of 1967 and the Gaming and Pool Betting Act of 1968. These laws aim to manage betting, wagering, and other forms of gambling in Uganda. Of course, lots of changes had been made since the 1960s and one of the most important ones was in 2013 when these rules were merged and established as the Lotteries and Gaming Bill which is still used for regulating online gambling in Uganda.

Ugandan gambling regulationToday general gambling-related law in Uganda is pretty much alike to other jurisdictions of other African nations. There are two leading and so to say contradicting aspects of gaming in Uganda. Firstly, the gambling sector is under-regulated which is the main reason why the player pool increased and operators make great benefits. The law entry costs play a vital role for operators to expand their actions in the country. But on the other hand, we can’t certainly say that this kind of under-regulated market is an advantage of Uganda because it causes a lot of gambling-related social problems. Specifically, as a result of the lack of regulations, low economic classes face impoverishment. They are dramatically affected by the financial effects of gambling, as they are the most vulnerable to problem gambling.

Increasing problems made the Ugandan National Lotteries Board pay more attention to the problem of gambling and take some actions against it. This major Uganda gambling regulator has been very active recently as it tries to clean up the industry and make more strict laws to protect the citizens from gambling-related problems such as loss of funds, lack of personal information and bank account details, and in general, being deceived by some unreliable service providers. One certain thing is that a more hands-on approach is necessary to control the situation and provide a responsible gambling atmosphere.

The last time when the regulator tried to do something for improving the overall gambling environment in the country was in 2013 when the National Lotteries Board increased betting company license fees and prohibited such kinds of companies from establishing betting shops near churches, markets, and some other public facilities. However, this wasn’t enough to solve existing problems and more measures are necessary. This is why it is a widely accepted opinion that the revision of the already existing law would change the situation and improve online gambling in Uganda for good.

For this moment the government tries to ensure that the gambling atmosphere in the country is safe enough for their residents. They issue certain kinds of licenses for not only physical ones but for online operators. This is one of the major reasons why people in Uganda sometimes prefer to use foreign gambling sites to play or provide services online so that the government won’t have access to their actions.

Responsible gambling in Uganda

Most of the African countries where gambling is not so strictly regulated usually face some dangers when it comes to online gambling. No surprise, that Uganda is one of them. The fact that gambling is legal there encourages many players in the country and from other parts of the world as well to take part in various gambling activities in Uganda and as a result, it’s pretty hard to take the control of the situation. People can easily find the best paying online casinos in Uganda and benefit from their services but apart from these reputable online casinos, there are plenty of scammers on the internet today and sometimes people in Uganda find it hard to navigate through the online platforms and differentiate between gaming firms.

Uganda gambling regulatorThis is why providing responsible gambling has become an important task. The leading regulators of the country, as well as the government sometimes are unable to manage the gambling sector, and as a result number of gambling-related problems is increasing. The solution is not yet achieved, but still, regulators try with all their effort to implement a serious level of player protections for licensed companies operating in Uganda. What this means is that if you gamble online on a licensed website, your safety is guaranteed but this doesn’t apply to websites that don’t own a license from the regulator. In this case, players have to deal with the issues themselves and that’s a very difficult task nowadays.

Our recommendation to play casino games for real money in Uganda is to be careful of unlicensed online sites and choose legal sports betting casinos that provide security measures for their customers. But considering that other forms of online gambling are grey are at this moment, taking part in other games is at your own risk.

Bottom Line

Finally, to sum it all up, online gambling in Uganda is legal which means that you can enjoy most of the services without worries, but not all forms of gambling are regulated. Therefore, before you start making an account, depositing money, placing bets, and enjoy playing various games on online casinos of this little African nation, make sure that the website comes from reputable software providers and owns a certain license. However, the current situation makes us believe that the future of online casino websites in Uganda is promising, as regulators will soon revise existing laws and start to control unreliable providers more effectively.

FAQ on Online gambling in Uganda

Is online gambling legal in Uganda?

Yes, online gambling is legal in Uganda, along with brick-and-mortar casinos, meaning that the players there can deposit real money on gambling sites without worrying about the legal results. The casinos can get licenses from the government unless they meet all the requirements set by the Lotteries and Gambling Bill of 2013.

What online casino games are popular in Uganda?

Generally speaking, online casino games are one of the most popular activities in Uganda and people visit online gambling websites every day. The most popular type of game is online slots, however other types are played pretty frequently, including Roulette and Blackjack. The popularity of live casinos is also increasing as the gaming experience you get from these are very close to the real casino experiences.

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