Kazakhstan has approved a major expansion of its gambling zones, authorizing new casinos on the Caspian coast and Lake Alakol. The move aims to capture foreign tourism revenue while maintaining strict domestic controls.
Kazakhstan is set to significantly broaden its regulated gambling landscape after lawmakers approved amendments allowing the creation of new casino zones across several regions. The legislation, which passed key procedural steps in late December, authorizes the development of casinos in four new strategic locations:
This marks the first major geographic expansion of the industry since the 2007 law that confined all legal casinos to the resort areas of Borovoye (Akmola) and Qonaev (formerly Kapchagay).
While the central government has defined the broad regions, the responsibility for selecting specific land plots will rest with local executive bodies, known as akimats.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabosynov explained that this decentralised approach ensures projects align with local capacity. Akimats will assess potential sites based on road access, utilities, and proximity to existing tourist attractions. The government has also left the door open for further adjustments, indicating that zone boundaries could be expanded in the future if early projects prove successful.
The push for new casinos is underpinned by robust tourism data. Between January and October 2025, investment in Kazakhstan’s tourism sector rose by 38% year-on-year to 923 billion tenge (approx. $2 billion).
Government estimates suggest that each new casino complex could generate between 2 billion and 3 billion tenge ($4.3m-$6.5m) in annual tax revenue and create approximately 500 permanent jobs. Minister Myrzabosynov emphasised that there will be no tax breaks for these new operators; the focus is purely on leveraging gambling as an anchor for broader hospitality development.
Kazakhstan is effectively adopting a "two-tier" gambling policy: strict prohibition for locals, and liberalised luxury for tourists.
This expansion seems contradictory at first glance. Just months ago, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law raising the minimum gambling age to 25 and banning debtors from betting. Yet, the government is now approving more casinos. The logic, however, is clear: these new zones are designed as "export" products.
By placing casinos in Mangystau (accessible to tourists from Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia via the Caspian) and Zhetysu/East Kazakhstan (targeting the Chinese border traffic), Astana is trying to replicate the "border casino" model seen in Cambodia or Vietnam. The goal is to capture foreign currency while keeping the social costs-addiction and debt-physically distant from Kazakhstan's major population centres. The success of this strategy will depend entirely on infrastructure; a casino on a beautiful lake is useless if the road to get there is unpaved.
