8th Oct, 2024 @ 07:00 pm
Over the years, Uganda has always been somewhat of a gray zone for online bettors and gamblers, running back and forth with legislation. We’ve done some digging and have found out that the Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (LGRB) has been regulating local betting brands since 2016.
Still, if you’re a Ugandan bettor, you’ll know that a lot has changed since then, and the Supatips team wanted to give you an update. We’ve scoured around for the best football betting sites in Uganda, mostly focusing on offshore bookies due to strict regulations preventing local punters from accessing some in-house betting platforms.
To give you an unbiased and professional take on the situation, we’ve consulted the team of betting experts at BetZillion led by Tim Harrison. They’ll give you a better insight into how things work in Uganda by going over the rules and regulations to help you navigate the legal landscape of online betting.
Plus, we’ve explored the main options for Ugandan punters by going over the best offshore bookies accepting local bettors, as you’ll be able to see from our mini-reviews below.
Our Top Picks for Ugandan Betting Sites
Before we dive into the top picks for Ugandan betting sites, it’s time to discuss the legal narrative of the country since it’s in a unique position among African countries. To be precise, there’s a Gambling Bill introduced in 2016 that addressed most of the country’s land-based betting and gambling venues.
However, who said anything about online betting? Well, that one has been tough on us to answer as well since the regulations are a bit vague and can be interpreted in a number of ways. Here’s our guide through the matter of the legality of online gambling in Uganda, followed by a shortlist of our top picks among legal online bookies.
Online Betting in Uganda — The Legal Landscape
We’ve mentioned the gambling and betting bill in Uganda, which went into law in 2016, but nowadays, it seems like there’s a new stream when it comes to legal betting in Uganda. Precisely, August 9th became an impactful date this year when the Ugandan President ordered a ban on sports betting which might soon come to fruition.
To his announcement, the country’s regulatory bodies like the LGRB and the National Gaming Board Uganda (NGBU) will no longer be granting licenses to new operators. On top of that, the President also announced that operators with existing licenses will lose the right to renewal when they expire, but what about online betting?
Well, online betting was never legally approved nor forbidden for Ugandan bettors. The safest way to bet in the country is through offshore sites that accept Ugandan punters without any restrictions.
You may not be able to wager directly in Ugandan Shilling, but it’s still a decent substitute to be able to do it in USD or other currencies. That’s why we’ll give you some of our top picks in coordination with BetZillion’s betting experts.
Top 10 Betting Sites for Ugandan Bettors
To bring you a list of the best Ugandan betting sites, our experts had to dive deep into the matter and examine the legal certification and acceptance of Ugandan bettors. We’ve also consulted the main experts on the subject, searching for top online companies according to BetZillion that operate online in Uganda to make sure our picks are on-point. We’ve found dozens, if not hundreds, of legal betting sites by these filters, but we still wanted to narrow it down to a few top picks for you.
So, here’s a complete guide with mini-reviews on each to help you find the one that perfectly suits your betting preferences:
- 22Bet — As one of the most popular betting sites that accepts Ugandan punters, 22Bet profiled itself as a superb mobile bookie. You can use their app on both Android and iOS devices for a superb wagering experience, as well as a welcome deposit bonus of up to UGX 490,000 on your first deposit! Referral bonuses and odds boosts are also regularly available to spice things up for Ugandan bettors.
- bet365 — bet365 is one of the most popular bookies in the UK and all of Europe, which is now accessible for Ugandan bettors, offering a hefty free bet deal for new customers and one of the most responsive mobile app experiences that we’ve seen. Its reach is spread over 30+ sports you can bet on, including eSports and virtual sports.
- Bethard — At Bethard, you can double-up your initial bet of up to €50 or equivalent in UGX, and last time we checked, the offer was still available for Ugandan bettors. Along with the instant betting boost, local punters will also find competitive odds with more than 100 markets for football matches, a responsive live betting app, and pre-built bets for football events.
- Betway — Betway is one of the latest bookies to reach Africa, and it’s now available to Ugandan bettors with a neat 100% match bonus on your first deposit. We also loved their “Insider Blog,” where you’ll find lots of useful betting information, a free bet bonus for new users, and a state-of-the-art stats center with important stats for upcoming and live games.
- BetWinner — BetWinner hosts more than 1,000 daily sports events so it has one of the biggest betting offers in all of Africa. Ugandan punters can enjoy some unique markets, including those available on cyber bets, cycling, Esports, and others, with a very convenient mobile betting app.
- Megapari — Megapari is a perfect place for Ugandan bettors who wish to stay anonymous through crypto payments. It’s also one of the best sites in terms of payment options and limits overall, allowing you to deposit as little as €1 or equivalent in UGX, as well as enjoy a unique welcome offer and free bets with a decent, x5 wagering requirement on odds not lower than 1.40.
- N1Bet — Unlike some other bookies, N1Bet offers a 300% deposit match offer for sports bettors, which is among the biggest bonuses we’ve seen. It has nearly 30 sports you can bet on with more than 300 daily events and includes competitive odds and boosts on popular tournaments like the EPL, FA Cup, NBA, Serie A, Bundesliga, and others.
- 1Win — At 1Win, you can get a 500% welcome bonus of up to 10,764,300 UGX, which caught our attention right off the bat. Along with a massive welcome offer, 1Win also includes a great selection of 35+ sports, convenient payment methods, and regular betting offers.
- Cashalot — Cashalot offers a plethora of daily betting events, featuring more than 500 daily options from popular sports like basketball, football, tennis, ice hockey, and baseball. Along with that, the site also features a unique selection of outrights which comes in handy for betting on future events.
- Luckster — If you wish to experience a different culture and test the luck of the Irish, Luckster offers a completely customized betting experience. Ugandan bettors can join and place their wagers on a variety of events, as well as use betting bonuses like the 100% sign-up bonus.
Our Ranking Criteria
If you’re wondering about our methodology in selecting the best online football betting sites in Uganda, we’ll be happy to disclose our ranking criteria. Here’s a short overview of what we check.
- Betting Licenses — It’s crucial for our team to find legit Ugandan bookies, and if we can’t find sites with the Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board approval, we’ll focus on sites approved by offshore licensing bodies like the MGA or the Curacao Commission.
- Betting Markets — Online betting markets in Uganda can sometimes be very vague if you don’t find the right site, so we’re focusing on bringing you those with the best outrights, match-winner odds, handicaps, totals, and player props.
- Fair Odds — We’ve consulted BetZillion’s expert team here to compare the list of available odds with the industry’s golden standard and ensure that our recommended sites include fair and competitive odds.
- Betting Bonuses — For the BetZillion betting review team, betting bonuses are a must for every Ugandan bookie, which is why we’ve only given you sites with the best sign-up offers, free bets, and boosted odds.
- Mobile Betting — These days, everything is done through our smartphones, and it’s only natural that our experts only recommend those sites that have decent mobile betting apps.
Registering and Placing Your First Bet on Ugandan Bookies
Now that you have all the freedom of choice you could wish to bet in Uganda, it’s about time we discussed the main steps of using the best betting sites. Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll find it easy to follow these steps to get started:
- Create an account by clicking on the “Register” or the “Sign Up” option.
- Provide your KYC details depending on the site.
- Register your account with your email.
- Select a payment method.
- Fund your account.
- Use the welcome bonus and explore the betting options.
To place your first bet, you’ll have to look for the “Bet Slip” option. Or, you can simply explore the sports betting odds and pick those that look the most tempting to you, and your bet slip will automatically load on most sites. From there, simply move on by entering your bet amount.
Sports Betting in Uganda — Brief Overview of the Betting Framework
At the moment, it’s hard to tell if the betting landscape in Uganda will change anytime soon. If the country’s President sees through the implementation of the new rules, we might be limited to just offshore betting sites. Legal bookies in the country will likely cease all operations once their existing licenses expire.
However, it’s good news that there doesn’t seem to be a rule in place that forbids the usage of offshore betting websites. Or, at least, there isn’t one for now. So, you are free to use all the betting sites recommended in our guide and bet carefree, knowing that you aren’t breaking any laws.
Best Payment Options to Fund Your Betting Account
During our research, we’ve found lots of bookies offering payment methods that are favored by many Ugandan bettors. Minimum deposit and withdrawal limits are also mainly convenient, spreading from the amount of €1 to €10 or equivalent in UGX, and these are some of the most commonly used ones:
- VISA
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- Skrill
- PayPal
- Mobile Money
- Cash or Delivery
- Bank Transfers
- Payz
- Trustly
- Cryptocurrencies
Our Take
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this guide and a list of the best Ugandan betting sites created through a joint effort of the Supatips and BetZillion experts. We have to admit that sometimes finding the right place for sports wagering in Uganda can be a bit of a challenge. However, it’s nothing you can’t overcome by having the right pieces of info.
So, now you’ll have all the knowledge you could need to find the best legal online bookies in the country and safely wager your shillings without worrying about legal matters or odds fairness.
