Why this page exists
The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) publishes its list of licensed companies only as a PDF on lgrb.go.ug. Every year some brands drop off it quietly — and affiliate sites keep recommending them for months. This page is the 2026 register in plain HTML, with the payment context a player actually needs, checked against the official PDF on 4 July 2026. Licences run per calendar year (1 January – 31 December).
Two rules of thumb before the table:
- The legal gambling age in Uganda is 25 (only the national lottery is 18+).
- If a site taking your deposit is not on this list, no Ugandan regulator stands behind your balance — NLGRB actively blocks unlicensed sites through the communications regulator and mobile money operators.
Online casino licence holders (2026)
Operators holding a Casino Operating Licence — Online in the 2026 register:
| Brand | Operating company | Licence № | Betting licence too? | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22Bet | Arcadia Hospitality Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0222 | ✅ NLGRB-BM-26-0221 | 22bet.ug |
| Gal Sport Betting (GSB) | A Better Place SMC Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0170 | ✅ NLGRB-BM-26-0244/0245 + software NLGRB-SL-26-0173 | gsb.ug |
| betPawa | Chop Gaming Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0182 | ✅ NLGRB-BM-26-0181 | betpawa.ug |
| Bangbet | Everwin Golden Silk Uganda Co. Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0251 | ✅ NLGRB-BM-26-0250 | bangbet.com |
| Betika | Sportive Ltd | NLGRB-CS-25-0161 (carried into 2026) | ✅ NLGRB-BM-25-0162 | betika.com/en-ug |
| Kagwirawo | Blue Cube Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0213 | — | kagwirawo.ug |
| Bongo Bongo | — | NLGRB-CS-26-0207 | — | bongobongo.ug |
| Sema Bet | — | NLGRB-CS-26-0199 | — | semabet.ug |
| BetVita | — | NLGRB-CS-26-0224 | — | betvita.com |
| Pepeta Bets | — | NLGRB-CS-26-0193 | — | — |
| Choplife | Choplife Ltd | NLGRB-CS-26-0195 | — | — |
| 21.com | — | NLGRB-CS-26-0256 | — | — |
Betting-only and land-based licences (2026)
| Brand | Operating company | 2026 licence | Scope | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | Advanced Gaming Ltd | NLGRB-BM-26-0206 | Online betting — no online casino licence in the 2026 list | 1xbet.ug |
| Premier Bet | Eldorado Company Ltd | NLGRB-BM-26-0188 + machines NLGRB-BMTOL-26-0189 | Land-based (2025 entry covered online too) | premier.ug |
| Fortebet | Massalia Ltd | NLGRB-BM-26-0187 + machines NLGRB-BMTOL-26-0186 | Land-based retail network | fortebet.ug |
Rows marked “—” mean the register PDF does not state the detail or we have not verified it yet; the licence number is the anchor — you can check any entry in the official register.
Who is NOT licensed in 2026 (but still shows up in Google)
| Brand | Status | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| MELbet | 🔴 Licence revoked | Fox Bet Ltd’s licence revoked effective 1 January 2026; NLGRB urged players to withdraw funds — details |
| Betway | 🔴 Left Uganda | Wound down operations in early 2022; betway.ug redirects to the unlicensed international site — details |
| BetWinner | 🔴 Never listed | Absent from the 2025 and 2026 registers; offshore Curaçao licence only — details |
| Bang Casino (BetSure) | 🔴 Closed casino | Rubine Box Uganda Ltd notified NLGRB it closed the Bang Casino online casino; do not confuse with Bangbet, which is licensed |
| MSport | ⚠️ Unclear | Ordered to stop accepting deposits per NLGRB notice (May 2024); not visible under its trade name in the 2026 list while msport.com/ug stays reachable — treat with caution |
How to check any operator yourself (60 seconds)
- Open the NLGRB licensed-companies page and download the current-year PDF.
- Search the PDF (Ctrl+F) for the brand name first, then the company name — some brands are listed under their operating company only.
- Match the website column — clone domains are common (the licensed 1xBet domain is 1xbet.ug, not the “.com mirror” a Google ad shows you).
- Check the licence covers what you play: CS = casino, BM = betting, and the register states Online or Land-Based per entry.
- If a brand claims “licensed in Uganda” but is not in the PDF — that claim is false, whatever badge sits in its footer.
What this means for your money
A licence is not a promise the operator is generous — it is a claim path if a payout goes wrong, and a guarantee that deposits flow through the Bank of Uganda-licensed centralised payments gateway that Uganda introduced for gambling in July 2025. Offshore sites offer neither. Before you pick from the licensed pool, check what a win is actually worth after tax and cash-out fees in the net payout calculator, and see which licensed operators pay fastest in the payout ranking.
Frequently asked questions
How many betting companies are licensed in Uganda?
The 2025 issuance notice listed 85 licence entries across all categories (casino, betting, bingo, machines, software); the 2026 list is the same order of magnitude. One company often holds several licences.
Is there a PDF download of the licensed list?
Yes — NLGRB publishes annual PDFs (2021–2026) on the licensed-companies page. This page mirrors the 2026 player-relevant entries in HTML and adds licence-loss context the PDF does not show.
Which licensed operator should I start with?
Depends on what you optimise for: the payout ranking compares the licensed pool on withdrawal speed, minimums and fees. For the widest licensed online casino library, see the 22Bet review.
Checked against the official NLGRB “List of Licensed Companies For the Year 2026” (updated 14 May 2026) on 4 July 2026. We re-check after every NLGRB public notice; if you spot a change we missed, tell us.