Uganda has joined other African countries in marking the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, with the country’s gaming regulator highlighting the rapid growth of the industry while urging players to gamble responsibly and know their limits.

The Africa Safer Gambling Week, running from September 7 to 11, 2026, brings regulators, gaming operators, policymakers and other stakeholders together under the #PlaySafeAfrica campaign to promote player protection, responsible gambling and public awareness.

The campaign is being organised by the African iGaming Alliance (AiA) and is focused on ensuring that the growth of Africa’s gambling industry is accompanied by stronger consumer protection.

According to the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB), Uganda’s gaming sector has undergone significant transformation in recent years, becoming larger, more sophisticated and increasingly digital.

NLGRB Chief Executive Officer Denis Mudene Ngabirano said Uganda currently has 63 licensed gaming operators.

He said the sector contributed UGX 355.4 billion in government revenue during the 2025/26 financial year and supports more than 24,000 jobs across Uganda.

The figures underline the growing economic importance of gaming in Uganda, even as authorities increasingly focus on the risks associated with gambling and the need to protect players.

The government’s message during Africa Safer Gambling Week has been that gambling should be treated as entertainment rather than a source of income.

Authorities are encouraging players to understand their limits, make informed decisions and avoid gambling becoming a source of financial, social or psychological harm.

The government has also urged gamblers to use responsible-gaming features available on licensed platforms.

These include deposit and spending limits, self-exclusion options and gaming breaks, which are intended to help players maintain control over their gambling behaviour.

The government says players should understand and use these tools whenever necessary.

The campaign is also placing emphasis on protecting young people from gambling-related harm.

Parents, guardians, schools and communities have been urged to play a role in preventing underage gambling and encouraging young people to concentrate on education, skills development and productive opportunities.

The focus on underage gambling comes as Uganda's gaming market becomes increasingly digital, making betting and other gaming products more accessible through mobile phones and online platforms.

The NLGRB has previously highlighted responsible-gaming awareness and the protection of young people as part of its regulatory mandate. The regulator's official website also provides responsible-gaming resources and a self-evaluation tool for people who may be experiencing problems with gambling.

Ugandan authorities are also warning players that not every betting or gaming platform operating online is legitimate.

Players have been encouraged to use licensed and regulated operators, where consumer-protection and regulatory requirements apply.

The warning is particularly significant as online and mobile gaming continue to expand.

The NLGRB has previously identified illegal online gambling, including offshore operators accessible through integrated payment systems, as a regulatory concern. In February, Mudene told Daily Monitor that the regulator was working with organisations including the Uganda Communications Commission, mobile-money platforms and telecommunications companies to address illegal online gaming.

The regulator has also been using technology to strengthen oversight of the industry, including a national central electronic monitoring system designed to monitor operator activity.

A major theme of this year's campaign is financial literacy.

The government has warned Ugandans against treating betting as an investment or using gambling as a means of paying household bills.

Instead, players are being encouraged to understand the risks involved and make sure gambling does not interfere with their financial responsibilities.

The message echoes previous warnings from the NLGRB that betting is entertainment and is not a guaranteed way to make money.

Africa Safer Gambling Week is the first coordinated continent-wide initiative of its kind and is designed to bring regulators, licensed operators, industry associations and responsible-gambling organisations together around player protection.

The five-day campaign includes public education, digital awareness, community outreach, regulatory engagement and a continental webinar.

Each day focuses on a different aspect of safer gambling, including responsible gambling, setting personal limits, using player-protection tools, preventing underage gambling and understanding the risks associated with illegal and unlicensed operators.

Uganda is among the participating African markets, alongside countries including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi.

The African iGaming Alliance says the initiative is intended to become an annual platform for strengthening cooperation and sharing good practices on safer gambling across the continent.

Uganda's participation comes at a time when the country's gaming industry is expanding rapidly.

Recent reporting has put the number of licensed operators at 63 and highlighted the sector's growing contribution to government revenue, employment and the wider digital economy. The NLGRB has also said technology is increasingly central to licensing, monitoring and enforcement.

But the regulator faces the challenge of balancing industry growth and government revenue with its responsibility to protect consumers.

For Uganda, Africa Safer Gambling Week therefore presents a broader question: how can the country benefit from a growing gaming economy while ensuring that gambling does not contribute to financial hardship, underage gambling or other forms of harm?

For regulators and government, the answer increasingly centres on stronger compliance, public awareness, financial literacy, player-protection tools and action against illegal operators.

As Africa Safer Gambling Week continues through September 11, the message from Ugandan authorities is clear: gaming may be growing, but responsible play and player protection must grow with it.