The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan has officially signed amendments to the law on “Gambling Business” that will allow new gambling zones to be created in four areas, according to a report by Kazinform International News Agency.
The four areas in question are Mangistau region on the Caspian Sea coast; Panfilov district and the shores of Lake Alakol in the Zhetysu region; Talgar district in the Almaty region; and the Markakol area and Zaisan district in the East Kazakhstan region.
This expands on the two zones in which casino gambling is currently permitted – the city of Konaev in the Almaty region and the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort area in the Akmola region – both open to Kazakh citizens and foreign visitors.
While four new zones will be created, the amended law still contains certain restrictions including entry being limited to foreign citizens and “stateless persons,” the news agency said. Casinos, slot halls and betting shops are also prohibited from being built on specially protected natural areas, land of historical and cultural significance or land allocated for defense and national security needs.
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports, Baurzhan Rapikov, had revealed earlier this year that the zones were aimed at attracting high-spending international tourists to Kazakhstan.
“The expected economic impact includes around 500 jobs per casino, annual tax revenues of KZT 2 billion to KZT 4 billion (US$4.2 million to US$8.4 million), and an increase in the number of gambling tourists from the current 100,000 to 200,000,” he stated in January.
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