Museveni moves to ban betting and gambling

President Kaguta Museveni has reportedly directed the government to stop registering and renewing licences to betting and gambling companies.

According to reports, State Minister for Finance David Bahati said on Sunday religious leaders raised concern about betting and gambling.

Religious leaders claim that the youths are sinking their families into poverty by staking their earnings.

"We have received a directive from the president that we shouldn't licence new sports betting and gambling companies or renew licenses of existing ones," the minister said.

There are an estimated over 2,000 active gambling and betting operators in the country. 

The National Gaming Board Uganda (NGBU), a body mandated to regulate betting and gaming in the country, hasn't issued a statement about the new developments.

In 2016, NGBU revealed that Ugandans spend an estimated Shs 150bn annually on betting and gambling, with government collecting about UGX30 billion in revenue annually.