The attention of the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board was recently drawn to a company trading as BLQ FOOTBALL Uganda on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp, and website blq66.cc
BLQ has been conducting betting activities illegally without a license from the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board contrary to the provisions of the Lotteries and Gaming Act No. 7 of 2016.
Upon investigation, the Board established that Acclaim BLQ Sports SMC Ltd trading as BLQ Football Uganda is using gaming activities as a strategy to market its membership. It claims to be an investment company where people are lured to invest money and earn by recruiting more people to join the BLQ Football Club platform to participate in betting activities.
It has also come to the attention of the Board that many more companies such as Crown Football Uganda, E-Cairo Football, and UGfootball are operating both physically and through online platforms asking Ugandans to invest huge sums of money with the promise of exceptional investment returns.
THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERIES AND GAMING REGULATORY BOARD
According to section 5(b) of the Lottery and Gaming Act, 2016 the Board has powers to conduct any investigation or inquiry relevant to the gaming and betting industry in Uganda. Following the investigation, these actions were taken:
1.The government has effectively closed the operations of this Ponzi scheme and the process of investigating similar companies are underway.
- On the 22nd of July 2022,the Board wrote to Uganda Communications Commission notifying them of the illegal online gaming operations of BLQ Football Uganda. UCC issued a directive to internet services providers to block access to the fraudulent websites.
- The Board wrote to MTN Mobile Money Uganda Ltd and AIRTEL Mobile Commerce Uganda Ltd to cease providing payment system services to BLQ.
- On 26th September 2022, a notice of Censure of Acclaim BLQ Sports SMC Ltd was written to Bank of Uganda’s National Payments Systems Directorate and a copy issued to the Financial Intelligence Authority.
- The Board notified Criminal Investigations Department of the Uganda Police to make further investigations.
- The Board has been engaging the public through its social media platforms to cause as much awareness of the matter as possible.
The public is advised to refrain from dealing with unlicensed or illegal gaming companies. Licensed companies can be verified by visiting the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board website at www.lgrb.go.ug
The Board notifies the public to send any complaints relating to such unlawful operators and activities through email: info@lgrb.go.ug and toll free line: 0800 100 090.
Our primary objective remains the protection of the public from the adverse effects of gaming. Remember, betting is addictive and can be psychologically harmful to your health. Betting is also not for people under the age of 25 years. Please Bet Responsibly!
