Best Online Casinos - Uganda

Whether you are an avid and seasoned player or a newbie wondering how the industry works, our drilldown on the rules around offline and online gambling in Uganda will be useful. It is tailored to help players stay on the safe side of the law and play more responsibly. When you understand what’s allowed and what’s not, it’s easier to make smart choices and enjoy gambling without stress. Plus, following the rules helps keep the whole industry fair and supports the country’s economy.

Is gambling legal in Uganda?

Games of chance, betting, and lottery activities are legal in the country. The official regulator is the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB). The principal document that it relies on is the Lotteries and Gaming Act of 2016. In a nutshell, NLGRB decides on which businesses to license. It also controls and audits all the gambling activities, including lotteries, casinos, and betting houses of businesses that were certified. The board promotes responsible gambling and makes sure the community of players stays protected from unethical business practices across the gambling and betting venues. Another major project that NLGRB focuses on is making gambling ads more compliant with high standards. 

While many other countries across the African market legalized gambling but don’t have that many land-based casinos, Uganda offers quite a few. The majority of them are located in major cities like Kampala. Casino visitors are welcome to enjoy classic games like blackjack, roulette, and poker. There are also plenty of slot machines. 

As for sports betting, it is available across certified kiosks and betting shops where there are screens with live streams. This activity is very popular in the country. Football is the most popular betting activity whereas horse racing isn’t. In fact, Uganda does not have a prominent tradition of horse racing, and there are no major horse racing tracks in the country.

Uganda follows global practices when it comes to spending revenues raised from taxing the gambling industry. These funds contribute to the national economy and are spent on public welfare programs, education, and infrastructure projects.

Is online gambling legal in Uganda?

Yes, it is. The same Lotteries and Gaming Act of 2016 that regulates offline casinos also provides a detailed legal framework for regulating online betting and games of chance. Under this Act, NLGRB is the regulator in charge of licensing and monitoring online lobbies.

Any virtual lobby licensed by NLGRB and offering games of chance or betting to players has to have measures promoting responsible gambling. In accordance with these measures, online operators can request age verification from their players, as well as provide self-exclusion options and ensure the fairness and integrity of games.

In addition to locally licensed online lobbies, players from Uganda are welcome to explore 100s of international platforms. Our database has more than 3,000 reliable and certified locations, and many of them will welcome players from the reviewed country. These sites are ready to offer a variety of classic table games, some of the best online slots, and a variety of live dealer releases.

Any of the locally licensed online lobbies will support deposits and withdrawals in Ugandan shillings (UGX). This is great because players will be able to avoid unnecessary exchange fees as they won’t be pushed to use international currencies. Plus, Uganda-licensed online lobbies support payments via local banking solutions, such as MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money — both are widely used for everyday transactions, including deposits and withdrawals on gambling platforms.

However, players heading to international online lobbies will rarely find UGX among accepted currencies even when playing at Curacao-licensed sites (these tend to have the biggest collections of fiat currencies). Therefore, alternative options are USD (be mindful of exchange fees) or crypto. The latter is supported by an overwhelming number of players from Uganda for convenience and low transaction fees. Plus, cashouts to crypto wallets are always fast.

Some of the most popular tokens frequently featured across international lobbies include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Litecoin, Ethereum, Doge, Tether, and Tron. Some currencies are volatile, others are known for their stability. Newbies to crypto are advised to do some research before switching to tokens.

For fiat transactions, e-wallets are among the most popular ways to deposit money and claim wins. Uganda-friendly casinos usually have any of these popular wallets: Skrill, Neteller, Sticpay, MiFinity, Jeton, and MuchBetter. Players are also welcome to use cards like Visa and MasterCard, as well as bank transfers. Both of these payment methods are reliable.

These days, Uganda has drifted far from the initial games of chance popular in pre-colonial times. These were strategic mancala games like Omweso. Authentic traditions were significantly diluted by the British influence during the colonial period. Western-style gambling activities, such as lotteries and betting, were introduced. These practices were primarily confined to colonial administrators and expatriates, with limited participation from the indigenous population, but with time, spread across the country.

Modern gambling in Uganda embraces all the global tendencies. Electronic slots are prevalent in casinos and betting shops, offering games with diverse themes and mechanics. Online, players are embracing trending releases from some of the most popular software developers. This means that all sorts of themes, bonus features, reel configurations, and payline patterns are included.

Live dealer content is on the rise as well. It’s accessible, immersive, and supportive of all sorts of bankroll strategies. When playing in live dealer lobbies, players from Uganda can count on classic tables with roulette and blackjack as well as all the exciting game shows.