Uganda, March 15 -- Back when I was a student at university, sports betting was just starting to get a foothold in town. It wasn't as ubiquitous as it is today and hadn't pervaded the informal sector like white on rice. It was mostly still a case of if you know you know.

But soon, betting kiosks would start popping up around Makerere University, in areas like Kikoni, Kavule, and Kikumi Kikumi. They were targeting students, especially those living in hostels. It became common to overhear conversations punctuated with words like "receipt", and names like Rubin Kazan, Kasimpasa, and Anorthosis Famagusta. These were football teams in random European leagues that no regular football fan would have been paying attention to.

But suddenly, univ...