Uganda to crack down gambling

The government is making efforts to regulate the sector after an increase of gambling among young people.

Uganda.- After several cities in Uganda reported an increase in college dropouts because gambling students can’t pay their fees, local cities are seeking a nationwide betting ban. The Ugandan government earns approximately US$5 million in taxes from gambling every year.

According to a report from Quartz Africa, the country will start an initiative to educate communities and officials to avoid a banning. Furthermore, the newspaper said that a task-force has been created and expanded to crack down on illegal gambling operators and to prevent underage gambling. “We realise we have so many people who are being affected by gambling and they get addicted. If you ban an activity it will go underground to the black market. When that happens such individuals are hard to identify and so it is better to have this in place and be able to help those individuals who are having problems,” said Jonathan Kyeyune, Manager Public and Corporate Affair at the Lotteries And Gaming Regulatory Board (LGRB).

Uganda is set to launch counseling services this summer, as well as a responsible gambling program. Last year, the African country banned slot machines stating that they were corrupting youth and women.