Ugandan authorities have arrested a woman in Masaka District as part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal gaming operations, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (LGRB) said on Monday. 

The suspect, identified as Mwesigwa Patricia, a bar attendant and resident of Namirembe Landing Site, was found operating unlicensed gaming machines, the regulator said.

She is expected to be charged at the Makindye Standards Court under the Lotteries and Gaming Act, which prohibits the use of gaming or betting machines without a licence. 

The arrest was carried out under Operation Mashine Haramu (“illegal machine”), a joint campaign between the LGRB and the Uganda Police Force aimed at dismantling unregulated gambling operations across the country. 

Uganda’s gaming industry has grown rapidly in recent years, contributing about 150 billion shillings ($39 million) in tax revenue during the 2022/23 fiscal year, up from 121 billion shillings the year before.

Regulators say unlicensed machines not only undermine public safety but also deprive the government of revenue needed for social services.

The LGRB has confiscated more than 50 illegal machines in Masaka and Mpigi in recent days and vowed that the enforcement drive will continue until all illegal operators are removed

By chimpReports