Simon’s Kazakhstan Casino and Gambling Guide
Kazakhstan Casino and Gambling Guide
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country by area and the 9th largest country in the world in general (Kazakhstan is larger than all of Western Europe). The country shares borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Despite being a huge country, the population is only around 18 million making Kazakhstan’s population density among the lowest in the world. The country’s capital is Astana and the largest city is Almaty (Almaty was the capital until 1997 too). Kazakhstan is a major economic force in the Central Asian territory due to its oil and gas production. The dominant religion in the country is Islam (70% of the population) while Christianity is practiced by 26% of the population. Officially, though, Kazakhstan allows freedom of religion. The official languages in the country are Kazakh and Russian.
Kazakhstan’s territory was ruled by nomadic tribes until the 13th century, when Genghis Khan conquered the territory, effectively making it part of his empire. After the dissolution of the Mongolian Empire, the territory came under the rule of the Russian Empire in the mid-19th century. Due to Russia being reorganized as the Soviet Union after World War I, Kazakhstan became the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The country was an integral part of the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Mostly because of this, Kazakhstan was the last country to declare independence from the Soviets.
Gambling in Kazakhstan is strictly regulated but allowed if the provider has proper licenses and meets the requirements. Therefore, there are many land-based casinos all around the country offering the most popular games like roulette, poker, and blackjack amongst others. The Committee of Sports and Physical Training Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the governing body of all gambling activities. Online gambling, on the other hand, is prohibited. The Kazakh authorities have the power to block foreign gambling sites too.* There is not much information whether players are prosecuted or not if caught playing in an offshore online casino.
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Summary:
- Casino gambling in Kazakhstan
- Bingo in Kazakhstan
- Poker in Kazakhstan
- Sports betting in Kazakhstan
- Lottery in Kazakhstan
- Bitcoin gambling in Kazakhstan
Casino gambling in Kazakhstan
Online casino gambling in Kazakhstan: illegal
The land-based casino business became legal in Kazakhstan in 2007. Therefore, there are numerous casinos operating across the country where players can enjoy the most popular games (blackjack, roulette, poker, slot machines, etc.). Operators have to acquire proper licenses, though. Online gambling is forbidden. Foreign online casinos are not allowed to operate in the country either. Furthermore, authorities are allowed to block offshore online gambling providers.
Bingo in Kazakhstan
Online bingo in Kazakhstan: state monopoly
Bingo is a very popular game around the world, especially in the United States. Bingo is legal in Kazakhstan and is a state monopoly at the moment as the sole provider of the game is the Kazakh Lottery Board of Kazakhstan. Bingo can be played online too along with the lotteries at kazlotto.com. Online gambling is prohibited so no other gambling provider is allowed to draw lotteries or bingo online in the country. Kazakh authorities are allowed to ban foreign online casinos too.
Poker in Kazakhstan
Online poker in Kazakhstan: illegal
Poker is quite possibly the most popular casino game ever created. The main reasons behind its ever growing popularity are the constant television broadcasts, the regularly held world championships, and the game’s competitive nature. Many would argue that poker requires more skill than luck but in nature, it still counts as a form of gambling as it is mostly played in casinos to this day. Land-based gambling is legal in Kazakhstan since 2007, so Kazakh players are able to enjoy poker at numerous brick-and-mortar casinos around the country. Online gambling, on the other hand, is prohibited. The Kazakh law enforcement has the power to block offshore online casinos.
Sports betting in Kazakhstan
Online sports betting in Kazakhstan: illegal
Sports betting is one of the most common forms of gambling in the world. It is quite popular in Kazakhstan too. Bookmakers have to acquire proper licenses to offer such services, though. Online gambling is prohibited in the country, so Kazakh players can’t bet on sports at an online provider. Kazakh authorities have the power to block foreign gambling websites too.
Lottery in Kazakhstan
Online lottery in Kazakhstan: state monopoly
Arguably, the lottery is the most common form of gambling out there. It is safe to say that where gambling is legal there is a national lottery. The lotteries (along with bingo) in Kazakhstan are controlled by The National Lottery Board of Kazakhstan. The first national lottery was drawn in 1998 and drawn regularly ever since. The lottery along with bingo is the only form of gambling allowed to be conducted online. Other unlicensed providers or offshore online casinos could face a ban if the authorities catch them.
Bitcoin gambling in Kazakhstan
Bitcoin gambling in Kazakhstan: illegal
Bitcoin is a digital currency often referred to as a “cryptocurrency” first introduced in 2008. It quickly gained a worldwide popularity as an alternative mean of payment. Bitcoin gambling appeared shortly after the introduction of the digital currency and continues to grow in popularity as more and more online casinos started to specialize in it. However, Bitcoin is still a relatively new phenomenon so only just a handful of countries issued laws concerning it. Bitcoin trades (due to the currency’s digital nature) mostly occur via the internet so technically Bitcoin gambling falls into the online gambling genre. Online gambling is prohibited in Kazakhstan so it can be assumed that Bitcoin gambling is too. Despite this, there aren’t any specific laws in Kazakhstan concerning Bitcoin gambling or Bitcoin in general as of now.
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This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2016.02.03.
We are interested in Casino business in Kazakhstan. We need consultancy for the same.
I’m not a legal counsel. Sorry, I can’t help.