Gal Sport Betting has come under scrutiny after it suspiciously deactivated the account of a user who won millions in Uganda shillings. This individual, Joel Muyanja, took to the social media platform, X, to bring the matter to light and seek justice.
According to Mr. Muyanja, he began using his Gal Sport Betting account again last month after depositing 100,000 shillings. Later that same month, he added 2.3 million shillings to his account. He placed bets with these funds but ended up losing them all. In his account of events, Muyanja has shared all his account activities, and it’s reasonable to assert that his account is legitimate as he possesses evidence to substantiate his claims. The incident transpired on February 22, 2025, when he placed a bet of 7,400,000 shillings, anticipating a payout of 15,169,000 UGX. While he did win this bet, what followed is an experience that no gambler wishes to endure.
On the very day he won his money, his account was suspended, despite the balance still being visible. Muyanja was able to log in, but he could not perform any actions such as betting, depositing, or withdrawing funds.
Like anyone else would, he reached out to the company via their toll-free number and spoke with multiple customer service representatives who provided him with unclear information. They stated that his account would undergo review and verification but did not even request his verification details. He was even suggested to open a new account while waiting for his existing one to be resolved.
Growing impatient, he went to GSB’s Head Office in Kampala at Ghats Complex on First Street two days later to seek clarification. He met a man named Eric, who introduced himself as the Head of Finance, along with another individual called Mr. Innocent. However, they only agreed to see him after he had waited for several hours.
They informed Mr. Muyanja that the reason for his account suspension was due to long periods of inactivity within their system. This team requested his patience and said they would coordinate with their technical department to resolve the issue and unblock his account within two days.
Two days later, Innocent reached out to him and requested an email containing his National ID details, source of income, full legal name, phone number, and proof of address for verification purposes. He complied with this request and included his passport information to eliminate any excuses, as his National ID had expired. Muyanja was told that he would be contacted once the review was finished. Luckily, his account was reinstated on March 7, but sadly, all his winnings totaling 12,935,934.81 had been taken away. GSB claimed this was due to suspicions of fraud related to his live bet winnings.
When he inquired about the nature of the alleged fraud, they directed him to review their terms and conditions and even invited him to visit their office for further explanation. It appears the company did not take the initiative to notify him formally through a call or email regarding the unblocking of his account.
As a result, Mr. Muyanja directed his lawyer to draft a demand notice along with a notice of intention to sue GSB Uganda. He set a deadline of March 11, 2025, for them to pay the money he rightfully won. Muyanja asserts that for two weeks following his victory, they provided him with various excuses regarding the status of his account before ultimately removing his winnings.
In the meantime, GSB Uganda sent him a letter indicating that they reserve the right to deactivate client accounts at their discretion if they suspect fraudulent activity. This is despite their failure to specify what fraudulent activity occurred or to provide any supporting evidence.
Included in the notice sent to him was a letter in which they reported him to the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB). Alarmingly, their report was submitted just a day after he had sent his own letter notifying the NLGRB about them. Even more concerning is that they brought up the fraud allegations on March 7, just two days after they had already reported him to the NLGRB.
He questioned why they hadn’t informed him of the fraud investigation when he reached out and visited their headquarters. Even during phone calls, they gave him no indication of any fraud claims. In Muyanja’s view, he does not see how betting on live games could be considered fraudulent when the events were happening in real-time.
He is now requesting that the betting company either pay him his full winnings or that the NLGRB compensates him using GSB Uganda’s statutory security bond. If not, he plans to move forward with legal action. Ugandans on social media have rallied around him, calling for the company to return his money.
https://x.com/joelmj712/status/1899870039299244064
