IN UGANDA, CUP FEVER CAUSES BETTING FLUTTER

KAMPALA: On a pot-holed street by Uganda’s sprawling central jail, young men stream into a luminous betting shop that stands out from the surrounding dingy grocery stores lit by paraffin lamps. Inside, dozens of men clasp handfuls of betting slips as they huddle around a flat-screen television blasting out live commentary from the opening game of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. “I’ll try to watch every game of the World Cup,” said Nyenje, who gambles at the same betting shop every day. Sports gambling has become a phenomenon across East Africa in recent years, driven by the ubiquity of satellite and digital television, and smartphones that enable online and app-based gambling. “I feel very good when I’m betting,” said Innocent Opiyo, a 26-year-old bricklayer.