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Sports betting ban endangers our investment- operators
Men check a notice board at a sports betting centre. Betting is a form of gambling which is usually marketed by highlighting the stories of previous winners. Photo by Rachel Mabala
What you need to know:
- Patrick Lubaale, another sports betting official at Galz Betting in downtown Kampala, said thousands of people depended upon the industry.
After an announcement that government plans to ban gambling in the country, sports betting operators have expressed fears that the move endangers their investment yet they were not consulted.
The Minister of State for Finance in charge of Planning, Mr David Bahati yesterday said President Museveni had ordered authorities to stop issuing and renewing licences to betting firms in a bid to crack down on gambling.
"The directive was received on the matter and it is going to be implemented," Mr Bahati said.
Speaking to Daily Monitor, Bahati said Museveni had ordered that "from now onwards, no new companies are going to be licensed. Those which are already registered, no renewal of licences when they expire."
Gambling, especially in sport, has become a phenomenon across East Africa, driven by the ubiquity of satellite and digital television, with smartphones that enable online and app-based gambling.
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Uganda is not doing herself any favour by getting many young people taking up gambling as a form of life. Due to the built in system of losses to gamblers, it is setting the stage for organised crime.
In just a few years, betting shops have emerged widely in cities, towns and villages across Uganda.
Samuel Mutekanga, an operator at one of the leading sports betting companies in Kampala, Betway, was shocked by the decision.
"The directive is not only a surprise but shocking. It is a danger to our investment," he said.
"Were we consulted? No. How can such a ban come in a pedestrian way? Where does it leave the money we have invested?" he added.
Patrick Lubaale, another sports betting official at Galz Betting in downtown Kampala, said thousands of people depended upon the industry.
"If the president is complaining about the negative effects on young people, we have already been sensitising the public about the irresponsible betting and people are aware about this, but this should not be reason to ban the trade," he said.
