The Government has proposed stringent penalties for casino, gaming, and sports betting operators who fail to integrate with the centralised payment system managed by the Bank of Uganda.
The proposal is part of the Tax Procedures Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was tabled before Parliament by Henry Musasizi, the State Minister for Finance. Under the new regulations, gaming operators who do not comply will face a penalty equivalent to twice the gaming or withholding tax due or a fine of 5,500 currency points (UGX 110 million), whichever is higher.
According to Minister Musasizi, the Bank of Uganda will oversee the system to ensure that all wagering transactions, including stake payments and payouts, are processed through a secure and transparent centralised platform.
“An operator of a casino, gaming, or betting activity who does not use or integrate with the gaming and betting centralised payments gateway system is liable to pay a penal tax equivalent to double the gaming or withholding tax due or five thousand five hundred currency points, whichever is higher,” Musasizi stated.
He further emphasized that betting companies will only be allowed to accept wagers and process winnings through the Bank of Uganda-licensed payment system, which will also be linked to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) electronic tax notice system for enhanced monitoring and compliance.
The move is part of government efforts to increase tax compliance and curb revenue losses within the gaming sector. If passed, the law will tighten regulatory oversight on Uganda’s rapidly growing betting industry and ensure that all financial transactions are fully traceable and taxable.