Uganda Intensifies Crackdown on Unauthorized Gambling Sector
Taking Aim: Uganda's Crusade Against Unlicensed Gambling
Tired of being bombarded by illegal gambling ads, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) in Uganda is gearing up to eliminate unregulated gaming activities. Led by Denis Mudene Ngabirano, the board is bent on protecting citizens from offshore operators and local land-based venues that have popped up all over the country [1][2][3][5].
"Our mission is clear,” Ngabirano explains, "the NLGRB was established by Parliament through the Lotteries and Gaming Act, CAP 334. Our job is to supervise and control all gaming activities while ensuring the public is shielded from the dangerous side effects of gambling" [1][2].
It's not just the offshore websites that are trying their luck in Uganda. Numerous small venues, hosting several to dozens of slot machines, have sprung up nationwide. In response, Ngabirano and his team have partnered with the Uganda Police Force to eradicate these unlicensed operations [1][2].
The regulator's efforts have paid off, with the confiscation of thousands of illegal gambling machines [1][2]. In one operation alone, more than 5,000 of these machines were taken down across the country. However, the exact number of seized machines varies in different reports, with some indicating over 1,000 illegal gambling devices were seized and destroyed [1][2][3][5].
The crackdown is part of a broader initiative by Ugandan authorities to enforce gambling regulations and allowing only licensed operators to conduct legal gambling activities. This move aims to put an end to the thriving unregulated gambling market that has been targeting the country's residents [2]. The push against illegal gambling comes as Uganda grapples with a previous scandal that involved the Ugandan embassy in Dubai allegedly running a casino [6].
[1] - Gambling Insider[2] - Uganda Radio Network[3] - Africa News[5] - Daily Monitor[6] - The Independent (Uganda)
"The NLGRB, in an effort to combat unregulated gambling, is partnering with the Uganda Police Force to shut down unlicensed casino-and-gambling operations springing up across the country, including small venues with slot machines, to protect citizens from harmful effects and illegal activities connected to gambling."
"In their ongoing crusade against unlicensed gambling, the NLGRB has successfully confiscated thousands of illegal gambling machines, including over 5,000 in one operation alone, as part of a broad initiative to enforce gambling regulations and eliminate the thriving unregulated gambling market in Uganda, while dodging the remnants of a previous scandal involving a casino operated by the Ugandan embassy in Dubai that was under the scrutiny of general-news and crime-and-justice sectors."
