Kazakhstan Launches New Casino Zones, Restricting Foreign Access

(AsiaGameHub) –   Kazakhstan’s new casino zone legislation limits entry to foreign citizens.

Kazakhstan.- The Kazakh government has greenlit the creation of new gambling zones where developers can apply to launch casinos aimed at international tourists. Per the country’s Qazinform News Agency, amendments approved by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will enable land-based casinos to be set up in four regions across the nation.

These revisions update the Law On Gambling Business, identifying the following new locations where casinos and other gambling venues can operate:

• Mangistau region, along the Caspian Sea coast
• Panfilov district and Lake Alakol in the Zhetysu region
• Talgar district in the Almaty region
• Markakol and Zaisan districts in East Kazakhstan region

The legislation forbids gambling facilities from being situated in protected natural reserves, on land with historical or cultural significance, or in areas designated for defense and national security. The new amendments also clarify access regulations, limiting entry to foreign nationals, stateless individuals, and those with official ties to gambling operations.

At present, Kazakhstan allows land-based casinos in only two zones: the city of Konaev in the Almaty region and the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort area in the Akmola region. Venues in these areas can serve both local and foreign patrons.

This development follows plans to reintroduce legal casinos in Azerbaijan—on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea—reversing a ban that has been in place in the South Caucasus country for over 25 years. The proposed rules, found in articles 22.0.42 and 23.2-1 of the Law on State Fees, would specifically permit casinos on artificial islands in the Caspian Sea.