Uganda launches Responsible Gaming Directives 2025 to strengthen gambling safety and industry accountability

Uganda’s National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) has formally issued the Responsible Gaming Directives 2025 under Section 5(d) of the Lotteries & Gaming Act, Cap 334. The new rules mark a milestone in promoting safer, fairer gambling and enhancing regulatory oversight nationwide.

The directives were signed on 16 October 2025 and released publicly on 14 November 2025. They apply to all licensed gaming and betting operators—both land-based and online—and impose a range of standards including:

• Mandatory display of responsible-gambling messages, age warnings and licence details on operator platforms.
• Self-exclusion schemes and restricted-person registers: operators must close accounts, remove excluded individuals from marketing databases within 2 days, and refund balances.
• Ban on credit for gambling and on inducements that may encourage harmful play, plus strict protections for minors, underage and vulnerable persons.
• Annual staff training on responsible gaming and problem-gambling awareness for all employees of licence-holders.
• Enforcement measures: failure to comply may result in fines up to 48 currency points, licence suspension or revocation.
  
  

The NLGRB stated that the directives “set a new benchmark for responsible gaming in Uganda” and reflect the regulator’s commitment to balancing industry growth with player protection.

For operators, affiliates and service providers in the region, these rules raise the bar for compliance. Key implications include enhanced monitoring of marketing, stricter due-diligence obligations and increased risk of sanctions for non-compliance.