Despite the few cases of political interference, betting in this great nation doesn’t seem to halt anytime soon. In 2019, it was rumored that Yoweri Museveni, the president, had ordered all betting sites to close. That’s after instructing the regulating body not to register new companies or renew licenses held by existing bookies. However, we are still playing, there are no restrictions on wagering hence wagering is absolutely not banned. In fact, the number of betting shops has increased drastically, and we hope to get better quality with the constantly increasing competition. This guide will review the best betting sites in Uganda, and recommend firms with special features.
List of betting companies in the country
The main challenge in everyone’s gambling journey is faced at the stage of selecting a perfect wagering company. Here is a highlight of popular betting websites for Uganda to help you choose correctly:
- 1xbet – They have the biggest welcome bonus with a thrilling and generous 200% matchup
- 22bet – Ideal for players seeking to enjoy some exotic technology experience
- Betway – It is a clean bookie with no major legal issues. Bet way provides amazing sports betting options with decent odds
- LVbet – not the most popular betting site in town, but their $50 welcome bonus, innovative markets and application of modern technologies qualifies them to the list of ideal bookies in the country
- bet365 – big boost of odds in all markets and plenty of matches available every day
- 32red – since 2002, 32red has a great coverage of casino events which is facilitated by their partnership with established software studios.
- Unibet – has proper security systems with enough resources to help players fight betting addiction. Unibet promotes responsible gambling and thus fit for punters in this nation
- William hill – is an opportunity our Kenyan brothers don’t get, the ability to bet at the best bookie in the world. William Hill is experienced and runs its operations of betting in Uganda using overseas licenses
- Energy bet – offers the best coverage of all major leagues with the layout allowing smooth and fast navigating
- Betfair – their betting surpasses our expectations with an exchange program in place. In addition, their jackpot casino prizes for megaways games are attractive and promising
- Mozzart – the usual virtual and casino gaming comprehensiveness rocks in this bookmaker.
- Betus – been around for over 25 years and popular in the United states. This is one of the best betting sites right now with a quality sportsbook, loyalty program, and up to 150% welcome bonus.
Top five betting sites
1xbet
This firm’s legendary bonuses and promotions page is overwhelming. The variety ranges from deposit-based rewards like the welcome bonus, and free bets to free gifts in VIP and big compensations for contest winners.
1xbet is the only betting site with a lot of everything; markets, incentives, payment systems, contact channels, interfaces and accessible betting options. They also promote diversity by allowing players to customize the display and appearance of odds, and other features.
This company is legal with a dynamic seal of approval from the Malta Gaming Commission. Their player protection efforts also prove their deliberation to affording players some quality services.
22bet
It is one of the leading betting websites in the country, and commands over a significant share of the East African market as a whole.
22bet success comes from their commitment to players, they are always available and ready to help with any issues raised by punters. The most likeable quality of 22bet is their professionalism in handling player requests.
This company however fails to avail plenty of offers as their competitors do, and they also don’t present jackpots. Still, their formality is admirable and thus they have to be considered as the second-best bookmaker.
Betway
As usual, Betway is the betting site for players willing to invest in football and baseball. Their 50% welcome bonus matched with up to USH200,000 of your first deposit is way generous.
Other appealing features and qualities making betway a top 5 platform in the country include;
- Decent odds
- Quality support services
- Best sports betting fixtures
- Enough and valuable rewards
- Fast and smooth payment processing
- Betway is a regulated betting site
- User-friendly minimum and maximum limits
- Their splendid mobile betting operations
Unibet
Enjoy up to $25 welcome bonus as a 100% matchup on your first deposit. The terms to redeem and cashout the new player offers are attainable.
Join over 16 million Unibet players today to start winning real cash and many bonus packages. Their optimization of sports betting takes them up the ranks.
The operations are generally great, but their KYC verification procedures are tedious and could be frustrating at times.
Betwinner
This company looks like a replica of 1xbet, 22bet and other interfaces, although they are reported to be running under the same developers.
However, Unibet is an independent betting company with own licenses, markets, features and way of running operations.
Betwinner is the perfect bookmaker for simple betting with no expectations of cozy treatments. Of course, they have some rewards, but they are not like the spoilers at 1xbet or Betway.
Betting shops
Gambling is a popular venture among the population, especially citizens under the age of 30 are known to be highly involved. As a result, betting firms in Uganda have established physical shops to reinforce their operations.
The popular betting shops in the country are mostly found with the capital, Kampala. Here is a list of the companies and their respective addresses:
- Kings Sports Bet shop in Johnstone street
- Gaming International betting along Makerere Hill road
- Premier Bet shop along kakungulu road
- Ultimate Bet Nateete 2 at A 109, Kampala
- Royal Sports Bet shop at Aponye City Mall
- SBA sports betting at Makerere Hill Rd
- Jet Sports Betting Ltd at Dastel Limited
- Bingo Sports Betting addressed to Kampala
- Fortebet Kasana and Fortebet Hoima at Luweero and Hoima respectively
- Betln in Kampala
Payment options
The coverage of banking options is sufficient in all betting sites in Uganda as standard and popularly used methods remain at your disposal.
The main idea behind the whole wagering concept is to make money and one cannot make more without investing. Hence, having sound deposit and withdrawal channel is vital and a fundamental requirement.
The firms avail various options through which players can transact money to and from their account. The banking methods include:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Skrill
- PayPal
- Neteller
- MTN
- Airtel money
- ecoPayz
- paysafecard
- Crypto wallets
Best bonus proposal for the local market
Using the bonus funds will definitely give you an edge against the bookie because these are free betting opportunities. Therefore, the player can use them to recover previous losses or to make more money.
The betting companies for Uganda present varying combinations and potential returns in their bonus and promotions cabinets. The best rewards are availed by international firms, while local firm do try to keep up with the competition by availing at least one or two valuable prizes.
These are the best betting bonuses and offers for players:
- Loyalty programs
- Contests and Tournaments
- VIP cashback
- Free spins and bets
- welcome bonuses
- Deposit offers
- Accumulator bonus
- Jackpots
Best mobile application on local Uganda market
The quality of an apk interface is dependent on the level of technology used by the betting company. That’s why the global firms tend to have better-groomed applications than local and simple brands. In that respect, we would highly encourage users to rely on these firms whose applications beats the odds while their general services are explicit:
- Betway app – great layout of features
- 1xbet app – host complex functionalities and still support convenient operations
- 22bet app – faster and more furnished than their other interfaces
- Betfair – easy navigations with the traditional sports and the exchange section available
- William Hill app – multiple apps for casino, sports, poker, and other markets
- Bet365 applications – these are among the best betting apps in the market
Best odds proposal
How do you research for the right odds to include in your ticket? To avoid the risk, we recommend punters to bet based on possible outcomes and not the odd value. Of course, some selections might have ridiculously big odds leading to doubts among players, but that doesn’t matter. Gambling is generally a risky venture and the ticket’s possible win from the odds value should be equitable to the taken chance. The recommended top five bookmakers in Uganda have goods odds and you can enroll to secure bigger wins. Finally, pay attention to boosted odds, their values are enhanced to give you the advantage and so they are not to be ignored.
Popular markets
The main betting market in Uganda covers sports and these are top ten events to watch out for:
- Soccer
- Baseball
- Rugby
- Table Tennis
- Basketball
- Horse Racing
- Cricket
- Hockey
- American football
Gambling laws
Betting in Uganda is regulated under the Gaming and Pool Betting Act, and The National Lotteries Act. The Gaming Board is the body mandated to issue and renew licenses to betting companies as per section for of the Lotteries and Gaming Act, revised in 2016. This therefore implies that, every company offering services involving sports, casinos, gaming and betting in Uganda must have the board’s approval. Despite the president’s orders of banning gambling and betting altogether, the companies didn’t seize operations because this chapter of the constitution wasn’t changed. Therefore, it is safe and legal to be in Uganda provided you rely on regulated firms for your protection.
History of betting
The first Act to control betting activities in Uganda was made into law by the first president after independence, Milton Obote, in 1962. The typical gambling games transformed since then to feature the current collection of more technologically advanced contents. However, betting addiction has been a big problem in Uganda with the practice termed “the driver of chronic poverty”. That doesn’t mean betting is the main Uganda’s low development records, but it is deemed to have catalyzed a less productive lifestyle among the hopeful youth. In response, betting companies in Uganda are working closely with the governing body to promote responsible gambling and end unhealthy betting.
Conclusion
Betting sites in Uganda avail the same resources as the ones offered in larger African markets like Ghana and Zimbabwe. Therefore, the procedures of conducting cash transactions, creating your bet slip, accessing features and all other primary operations are conducted uniformly in nearly all betting companies in the globe. From our list of bookmakers in Uganda, you can notice that a majority of these providers are international firms. Although the regulations have been tightening since 2019, Ugandans are not restricted from using the services from international betting companies.