Uganda plans to levy a 30% tax on online gambling

(AsiaGameHub) –   Uganda will soon roll out a flat 30 percent tax on all forms of online gambling. The Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment) Bill of 2026 was tabled before the Parliament of Uganda by Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija on March 27. The tax is set to be applied uniformly across all types of gaming and gaming activities.

As outlined in the bill, the taxable base is defined as all payouts issued within Uganda’s gaming industry. Specifically, this refers to “the total gross dollar amount of all money paid to a player when the player takes part in a gaming activity, or the fair market value of any non-cash prizes awarded”.

If the bill is passed by Parliament, it will take effect in the 2025/26 fiscal year, starting from July 1, 2026.

The new tax has been introduced in response to the rapid growth of Uganda’s gambling industry, which has been fueled partly by the expansion of electronic payment systems, mobile phones and online platforms that serve the country’s young urban population.

Currently, Uganda’s gambling industry employs more than 10,000 people and generates considerable amounts of both tax revenue and non-tax revenue for the Ugandan government.

Betting is the largest single segment of Uganda’s gambling industry. This sector is projected to generate $328 million in 2025, making it an extremely popular option for Ugandan gamblers.

However, the legal interactive gambling market is facing competition from both international and local unlicensed operators. In 2025, illegal interactive gambling brought in $114.8 million in gross revenue for unlicensed operators, while the total legal interactive gambling revenue recorded in Uganda in 2025 was $322.6 million. This means that, based on the total legal interactive gambling revenue, more than 25% of all interactive gambling revenue generated in Uganda in 2025 came from illegal operations.