from the press

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/smartmoney/Banking_fortunes_on_the_betting_game_83250.shtml
Smart Money April 16, 2009
Justus Lyatuu & Joshua Masinde
Kampala
In a pure game of chance, many Ugandans are increasingly placing their hard earned cash into a growing betting industry that is attracting especially younger people who enjoy the thrill of betting.
The betting industry in Uganda is not exactly young but is emerging from the informal and stagnated into a modern business enhanced by technology and innovation.
Justine Mwanje, a student, has been betting since 2005. Last year, he placed Shs10,000 and won Shs250,000. He says such fortunes have encouraged him to frequent betting stores. He also admits that betting is addictive. He has also made losses.
“Every weekend I bet roughly Shs10,000, but for the last two weeks I have lost,” he adds. Adam Sebugeni, House Manager, Sports Betting Africa – one of the betting companies, Bwaise branch told Smart Money that in February this year he won Shs150,000 after making a bet with only Shs10,000.
Betting stores are fast becoming places for people to spend most of their time attracted by the thrill to win while others have been knocked of their feet by the addiction that comes with playing the game many times.
Betting companies have cunningly moved into sports activities attracted by the growing number of Ugandans who love sports especially top European soccer leagues such as the English, Spanish and Italian.
Cricket and rugby have also become popular attracting many people especially foreigners to bet on them. At Sports Betting Africa in Bwaise, more than 200 participants place bets over the weekends. Mr Sebugeni says one can bet as little as Shs500 and a maximum of Shs150,000. The number of winners varies but Sebugeni says about 50 people win cash on a good weekend.
Royal Sports Betting, another of the flourishing betting companies, holds a record of losing Shs34 million to a lucky customer in one single bet, according to proprietor Zaheer Nathani.
He also said a customer once lost Shs5 million to the company. Mr Nathani says that betting has become a competitive business with more companies entering in the industry.
Some of the companies in the betting business include; Sports Betting Africa, Royal Sports Betting and Kings Betting among others. These compete directly with casinos such as Simba casino and Kampala casino.
Royal Sports Betting started four years ago and according to Mr Nathani business is booming. He says he found out that people could not afford to go to expensive casinos and needed something cheaper and less frightening.
At Royal Sports Betting, one can bet with as low as Shs500.“We wanted something that even a common man could afford. We give the best odds to our people though high profile people get special odds depending on the game,” he says.
The service provider presents the betting odds, from which clients choose. Odds are figures for betting, the betting can be conducted on any game though betting on the English Premier League matches is the most popular and attracts a big number of clients.
He says the trick – indeed one needs to be good at trickery to participate – for success is being knowledgeable about the teams one is betting on.
Royal Sports Betting has machines connected to the internet and provides key information to sports novices. Much of the information is available and helps customers acquaint themselves before going to bet. Royal Sports Betting handles between 400 to 500 customers a week.
To attract more customers, betting companies have invested heavily in electronic gagdets like computers with internet and clients can get their results online.
In the meantime, Kampala City Council makes Shs446,500 from issuing trading license to the betting companies and the Ministry of Finance, also collects an annual fee of Shs300,000 from the businesses as well.