stakeholder engagement meeting with C.E.O Vision Group
The Board held a stakeholder engagement meeting with the top management of Vision group led by their Chief Executive Office Don Wanyama. The main objective for this meeting was to build a strong partnership between NLGRB and Vision Group as a media company in relation to promoting Responsible Gaming.
Vision Group CEO Don Wanyama welcomed thanked the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) for attending the meeting. He informed the team that Vision Group has been operating for 35 years and it has 7 News Paper titles ( New Vision, Saturday Vision, Sunday Vision, Bukedde, Bukedde Lwomukaaga, Bukedde ku Sande and Kampala Sun), 6 radio stations, 6 Television stations (Bukedde TV1, Bukedde TV2 , TV West, TV East, Wan Luo and Urban) in different parts of Uganda.
Ag. CEO of National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) Denis Mudene Ngabirano commended Don Wanyama and his team for hosting the Lotteries team. He revealed to the Vision Group team in the meeting that National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) is mandated by law to supervise and regulate the establishment, management and operation of lotteries, gaming betting and casinos in Uganda, and to protect the citizens from the adverse effects of gaming and betting in Uganda.
He said the Gaming sector’s status currently is 53 Licensed operators, 75 issued licenses, 2,078 approved premises with 497 licensed key employees. Ag. CEO also said the Board has handled 38 disputes so far, confiscated 555 illegal gaming devices, destroyed 352 and awaiting court order are 203. He however added that as per Financial Year 2020/2021 the Board managed to raise UGX 43.4 billion.
He revealed to the members that the Board started a Responsible Gaming program that will be a yardstick to ensure that the general practices of all stakeholders in the gaming sector are consistent with community’s expectations and their operations are conducted in a manner that promotes responsible gaming and end problem gambling in Uganda.
Denis Mudene Ngabirano informed the members that National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board has impromptu enforcement activities to make sure the operators are being compliant. He added that the Board currently has challenges of manually monitoring an electronically driven sector, lack of physical presence across the country, insufficient budget allocation, COVID-19 effects as well as the planned rationalization.
