Gaming regulator teams up with GOGO Electric to reach boda boda riders on gambling and money management

KAMPALA, Uganda — The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board has partnered with electric motorcycle company GOGO Electric to take its responsible gambling campaign to boda boda riders. The regulator is widening its outreach in a sector that it says now contributes hundreds of billions of shillings to government revenue each year.

The engagement brought together 150 riders mobilised through GOGO Electric. It was part of the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, held under the #PlaySafeAfrica banner. According to the Board, the riders were trained both to manage their own gambling and to carry the message into their networks.

GOGO Electric runs a battery-swap network for electric motorcycles in Uganda. It secured $1 million from the EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI) in November 2025 to expand that network.

Boda boda riders earn daily cash incomes and are among the groups the Board targets through its community outreach programme, alongside young people, market vendors and other working communities.

The outreach comes as Uganda’s regulated gaming industry grows. Board Chief Executive Officer Denis Mudene Ngabirano told Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) that gaming tax revenue rose from Shs194 billion in 2023/24 to Shs368.02 billion in 2025/26, an increase of nearly 90%. He also said the compliance rate rose from 68% to 79% over the past year.

According to the Board, the country has 63 licensed gaming operators. It says the regulated sector supports more than 24,000 jobs and that about 93% of gaming activity now takes place online. The Board also says it has blocked 57 websites run by illegal online gaming companies and confiscated thousands of illegal gaming machines.

The government has also changed how the industry is taxed. From 1 July 2026, betting and gaming are taxed at a single 30% rate, replacing a two-tier system under which betting was taxed at 20%. A 15% withholding tax now applies to net winnings.

At the boda boda engagement, the sessions focused on money as much as gambling. Riders were urged to treat betting as entertainment rather than a source of income, set personal limits and seek help if gambling begins to affect their finances, relationships or wellbeing. Ngabirano had set out the same message at the launch of the week: “Bet for fun, not for fortune. Know your limits and stay within them.”

NSSF Uganda ran a financial literacy session on saving and making more deliberate financial decisions. The organisers said it reinforced the campaign’s central message that gambling should not be seen as a way to earn a living or solve financial problems.

Davis Mutungi, a clinical psychologist with Safe Places Uganda, led a session on gambling behaviour. He covered the warning signs of addiction and when to seek professional help. Participants also heard how the brain can create false confidence about the chances of winning, which can drive people to chase losses.

According to the Board, people experiencing gambling-related harm can get free, confidential counselling and professional support through its responsible gaming programme.

Africa Safer Gambling Week is convened by the African iGaming Alliance with regulators, and supported by industry associations, operators and safer gambling organisations.

In Uganda, the Board said the campaign builds on its existing measures, including community and school sensitisation, self-exclusion tools on licensed platforms, and counselling and referral services. Under its 2025/26–2029/30 strategic plan, it intends to expand public education, operator compliance and treatment referrals.