Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board destroys illegal slot machines

The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board has tightened its grip on the use of illegal slot machines in the country by the public saving them from opportunists who import and use them illegally. 

Denis Ngabirano, the board’s Chief Executive Officer believes combating the usage of illegal gaming machines will reinstate gaming sanity in the country. 

The gaming regulator embarked on a demolishing exercise of all the illegal gaming slot machines which were confiscated from non-licensed operators all over the country with the 2023/24 financial year ending this month. 

NEC E-waste experts demonstrating how the slot machines are demolished

On Wednesday, the machines were delivered to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) E-waste room ready for demolition which took place instantly upon arrival. 

Ngabirano accompanied the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board’s executive led by the chairman Aloysus Mugasa, members Margaret Zziwa, Rebecca Nassimbwa, Francis Twinamatsiko, and Precious Birunji the head of communications. 

National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board executive members look on as a demonstration is made on how the slot machines are demolished by the NEC E-waste team

“We have worked on gaming standards with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) in regards to the required, recommended standards which have been decided and only await gazetting, this is limiting the importation of illegal gaming slots that exploit the public,” Ngabirano noted. 

Over the last two years, illegal gaming machines amounting to 9936 units were collected and are estimated to cost sh4.2b which is a big loss to the country in revenue not collected. 

Ngabirano advised those planning to acquire gaming machines like slots to check on the lottery's website to see who the licensed distributors are. 

“We have already approved distributors of such gaming machines; they have finely tuned machines that abide by the gaming code of 80% return to the punters other than playing with illegal machines that merely exploit the customer and reward the owner which is unfair.” 

NEC E-waste experts demonstrating how the slot machines are demolished

Addressing the press before the demolition exercise, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board chairman Aloysius Mugasa assured the public of the board’s move to take legal action against the persons that assemble and sell illegal gaming machines without following the regulations set up for operation. 

“We are not only going to get the illegal machines but also have a well laid out plan of arresting and prosecuting with their places of operation closed to ensure that sanity is brought back into the gaming world.” 

The demolishing exercise takes a while since the NEC E-waste technicians separate each component and put them aside like the iron, copper, and wooden compartments have to be separately stored and repurposed into firewood for wood.

Mugasa also expressed satisfaction with working with NEC to ensure the machines won't be circulated again.

"We are so confident that the UPDF  entity of NEC  has a secure facility that can be infiltrated to have these machines back into the general public since they are licensed  E-waste managers."