Live betting, otherwise known as in-play betting, is a type of betting that allows punters to place their wagers on events and matches that are in progress.
Therefore if you’re looking for the best sports betting website in Uganda with these services, then Topbets is your right destination.
At TopBets, we will give you the best Sports betting sites in Uganda, the best welcome offers and free bets, the best reviews, and most importantly, the best predictions and tips so you can win big time. So, just roll with us as we do the dig around to bring you only the best to ensure a secure and enjoyable betting experience.
Live betting
The beauty of live betting is that you place your bets based on the live proceedings. Do you think an injury to a key goalkeeper or defender, a red card, or a super substitution will swing the flow of the game?
Has your favourite team come from three goals down and you feel the comeback will be complete, then be part of the excitement in the live betting section.
Well, you can turn your analysis into money by staking on the outcome. Or maybe, there’s nothing much happening and you feel after 30 minutes, the game is dull and poised to enter halftime goalless. Every single moment that passes by can impact a game as the odds keep fluctuating either due to the events or time.
The idea is to follow the dynamics of the game and predict the outcome basing on your superb analysis.
It is as easy as that!
Topbets will give you enough thoroughly researched information through our experience and other seasoned punters in the live betting business.
We’ll give you a shortlist of the best live betting sites with their pros and cons, their payment methods, safety and security, the legal position, dig into all the popular sports that are offered for live betting as we explain the criteria why we recommend the few.
But ABOVE ALL, the decision on which option(s) to go with entirely depends on your judgement. Topbets will only review and leave your heart to decide;
Top 3 live betting sportsbooks in Uganda
Gal Sports Betting
Gal Sports Betting offers one of the best live betting experiences with sweeping coverage for some of the popular sports offered in in-play betting. They include soccer, basketball, tennis, baseball, rugby, cricket, futsal, handball, ice hockey, table tennis and volleyball.
Under those are a wide variety of markets with competitive odds that apply to the respective sports.
Besides that, Gal also offers live bets on several Simulated Reality Leagues. These are virtual tournaments that imitate real-life competitions.
Livestream – the website doesn’t have a live stream platform but provides an animation screen in the live show zone where punters can follow the virtual commentary. The screen also provides in-play statistics, head-to-head, table standings and lineups.
Payment methods. Gals Sports Betting accepts only the MTN and Airtel Mobile Money options.
Bonuses and customer offers – the website has several offers including the 100% welcome bonus, Kilalu refund, 30% free bets on your deposits on Thursdays and a live sports betting free bet.
Speed – Gal has one of the best sports betting websites with in-play option that is compatible with the PC, mobile browser and Android apps. The website uses one of the latest and fastest technology for in-play that varies by a few seconds.
Trustworthiness & Security – Gal has been registered, licensed and regulated by the National Lotteries and Gaming Board of Uganda which is tasked to ensure the safety and security of the stakeholders.
On top of that, they are required to employ industry-standard security measures to ensure the security of all data and fairness to all.
Cashout – One of the features of pre-match betting that is very useful in in-play betting is the cash-out; the opportunity to withdraw your cash prematurely before the original bet has been settled. This helps a Gal’s customer to secure his wager when he predicts that the match is about to turn in his favour.
Betpawa
Types of bets – betPawa offers only three sports – football, basketball and tennis- in their sportsbook and hence, their in-play betting. There are, however, a good number of markets with several types of bets. These include money-line bets (1X2), totals on goals and points, double chance, both teams to score, handicaps at halftime and full time, number of goals in either halves and full time and several others depending on the magnitude of a particular game.
Range of payment methods – like many local top sports betting sites, betPawa accepts only Airtel and MT Mobile money options.
Live stream coverage – all three sports offered in betPawa sportsbook are available for live betting. However, there’s no livestreaming of games but instead, the site offers an animation screen to provide a virtual commentary of the matches.
Speed – betPawa uses one of the most advanced technologies for data collection that relays information within three to six seconds. It takes less than 15 seconds to successfully place a bet on their in-play.
Trustworthiness & security – betPawa has operated for over seven years and is licensed and regulated by the National Gaming and Lotteries board under the Government of Uganda’s laws. They are required to employ industry-standard security measures to ensure the security of all data and fairness to all
Cash-out – betPawa allows customers to cash out to settle their bets prematurely before the games end to either minimise predicted losses, get their stake back or settle for a minimum profit.
22bet
Types of bets
22Bet offers one of the largest sportsbook markets in Uganda, with over 48 sports and hundreds of special markets per match. Football events often exceed 500+ markets, including 1X2, totals, handicaps, player bookings, penalties, intervals, corners, offsides, and props. Live betting is extensive and covers multiple sports.
Range of payment methods
22Bet Uganda supports MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money for both deposits and withdrawals. Deposit limits range from Ushs 1,000 to Ushs 7,000,000, while withdrawals follow the same limits. Other global payment methods exist on international 22Bet platforms, but Ugandan users are limited to mobile money only.
Sports & live coverage
22Bet provides a rich live betting platform with many in-play events across over 48 different sports and everything you can wager on. from football, basketball, tennis, rugby, and more. 22bet emphasizes on live streaming for selected games were rights permit and their platform’s live interface is detailed and easy to navigate.
Quality of live interface
The live betting section loads many markets. Market updates are fast and navigation tools (sports tabs, favourites, top events) help manage the large volume of options.
Special bonuses & customer offers
22Bet has a strong range of promotions, including:
100% welcome bonus up to USHS. 490,000 (sports)
100% casino bonus up to USHS. 1,220,000
Cashout function
Speed- Deposits via mobile money are instant. The website is feature-rich and can run heavy on some devices, but overall performance is steady.
Trustworthiness & security – 22Bet Uganda is licensed by the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB), operating under Arcadia Hospitality Ltd. The site uses SSL encryption and secure servers. While trusted internationally, some Ugandan users raise concerns about withdrawals for huge wins because the platform promises to “contact the customer” for payouts above mobile-money limits.
Payment methods – 22bet offers several options international but for Ugandan players, depositing is limited to only MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money. No crypto for Ugandan accounts.
Live betting in Uganda
Football is by far the most popular sport in Uganda. And for this reason, it takes the lion’s share of betting and most definitely, in-play or live betting. It is not rare to find a group of people piled in a betting shop watching live games as they place or follow a match over their radios at their places of work through the live commentary animation offered by their respective betting sites.
Live betting is popularly associated with a locally coined English word “Appeal”! It means attempting a second chance after failing the first. For example, if you had placed on Match X to score under 2.5 but the game is already 2-1 at halftime, the punter might decide to change tact and go for goals in the second half or something else.
The other aspect that is very common with bettors in Uganda is the Cashout Feature offered by several top betting websites. This feature is very common as it allows the punter to settle his bets earlier and be able to change his tactics or matches just in case something starts going wrong. It is another word that has effortlessly been coined and integrated into the local dialect.
Legal considerations
Persons under the age of 25 years are prohibited from participating in any betting activities in Uganda. Therefore, sports betting websites are barred from registering or sending advertisements to people below such age.
The betting industry is legislated by the Lotteries and Gaming Act 2016. The Act commenced on April 8th, 2016 in a bid to reform the law relating to the conduct of lotteries, gaming, betting, and casinos, to provide for licensing and regulation of lotteries, gaming and betting; to provide for taxation of casinos, gaming and betting activities; and to establish the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board.
The main objective of the Board is 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.
All gambling companies are required by law to register with the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board under the Lotteries and Gaming Act, 2016. For more about this CLICK HERE.
The regulations also require the companies to pay taxes and collect revenues on winnings from the customers.
The board is also mandated to ensure that the betting is conducted according to the law with fairness and responsibility.
Here is a list of the betting companies licensed to operate in Uganda by January 2025: LIST
Glossary
Money-line bets – it’s a bet on the outright outcome of the event. Here you bet on a particular team to win a match or an event or draw. There are only three results possible.
Cash-out – the option provided for a bettor to settle a bet before one or more match has been concluded to minimize losses or secure minimum profit possible.
Points spread – is a tool used by sports books to level the playing field
Total bets – these are bets on the number of goals expected based on a set margin. The most common is over/under 2.5 where you bet on either the total number of goals being more than two goals or below.
Prop bets – are bets on occurrences in a match that don’t necessarily affect the final result. For example betting a particular player to be sent off or a defender to score.
Parlay bets – is a combination of different selections in the same bet for potential higher profits but with a higher risk. To win a parlay bet, all the selections must go through.
Live betting strategies
Research – knowledge is power! Just like pre-match, do more research on teams and players before placing your bet in in-play. Find out the effect of some players when they are substituted late, understand the history of the match, find out about the best players and permutations of the match.
Use data – follow the live statistical updates provided by the betting sites and on your television if watching. Information like how many attacks a team has initiated, which player has had the best game so far, how many fouls has a team committed or the attacks on the final third. These can help you in case you want to bet on next goal scorer or team to score next goal, corner, yellow and red card count etc. this will also guide you on when to make a cash out in case your bet is at a higher risk of losing.
Know when to stop. Live betting can be very addictive but you must know when to stop. DO NOT chase losses! Manage and track your betting trend and know when to find help when you cross the red line.
Q&A
What is live betting?
Live betting is gambling that is allowed for the duration of a game that is in progress.
How many sites offer live betting in Uganda?
All the sports betting websites offer live betting in Uganda
What is the difference between pre-match and live betting?
Pre-match betting is gambling on games and events before they start while in-play or live betting happens after the match has started and is underway.
How do I know if a particular match is available for live betting?
Go to your preferred sports betting website and look for a provision for live betting. In most cases, it is hidden under the button named LIVE. Click on it and see what is on. all events under it are available for betting. This could differ from sportsbook to sportsbook so try to check for the options.
What bets can I place during a match?
Most of the sports listed in the sportsbooks are available for live betting. You just have to click on the live button and check is available on your preferred Sports. The types of bets may differ from sport to sport due to their nature for example football has two halves and basketball four quarters. The most common ones that cut across are the money-line bets that offer odds for a particular team to win or draw, point spread, game totals, game props and player props.
Why do odds keep changing in live betting?
Odds’ calculations follow the flow of the game and the occurrence of key moments. For example, if Team A was the favourite to win with low odds, then Team B scores a goal, then the odds of A winning will increase because the dynamics would have changed – they will have to score two goals to win the game at that rate.
The odds react to the change and may freeze at certain moments when an important event occurs. Some important events include goals, red and yellow cards, penalties, corners, substitutions and dangerous free kicks. This is because some of those events are offered on bets as well.
Is live betting legal?
Yes, Live betting is legal in Uganda as long as you’re doing it using a site that is registered and licensed by the National Lotteries and Gaming Board of Uganda.
