President Kassym Jomart Tokayev has enacted legislation that expands the list of locations where gambling may be conducted in Kazakhstan.
The bill, called “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Supporting the Tourism Industry and Children’s Sports,” implements various modifications, including amending the gambling laws of Kazakhstan.
As a result of the changes made by this new law, there are now additional areas available for casinos, slot machines, bookmakers and lottery operations. New areas for casinos include the Coast Line of the Caspian Sea located within the Mangistau Region; the Panfilov District; the Coast Line of Lake Alakol located within the Zhetysu Region; the Talgar District located within the Almaty Region; and the Markakol and Zaisan Districts located within the East Kazakhstan Region.
There is a significant restriction that applies to all gambling operations in these new areas, which states that only foreign nationals and stateless persons will be permitted to enter casinos and similar facilities. Only persons who are employed at the casinos or similar facilities will be allowed to enter the premises.
Currently, there are only two zones, the Konaev area of the Almaty region and the Burabay resort area of the Akmola region, where gambling is legal in Kazakhstan; the law will allow for the expansion of this model by attracting tourism investment through additional gambling sites.
In addition to authorizing additional gambling, the law encourages the growth of other forms of tourism, as well as supporting youth and children’s sports. The law requires that any person, corporation, or other legal entity managing funds for the development of physical culture and sports be subject to a mandatory audit performed by a designated firm.
There are also reports of interest from investors in the United Arab Emirates in developing a hotel/casino project in an existing gaming zone, potentially investing approximately 55.9 million dollars in the investment.
