Lawmakers in Kazakhstan are seeking to tap into foreign visitors with the establishment of four new casino zones.
Under the new provision, the zones will be located in noted tourist areas. These are the Mangistau region, on the Caspian Sea coast, the Paniflov District and the shores of Lake Alakol, Talgar District in the Almaty region and the Marakol Area and Zaisan District.
The Qazinform News Agency reported that the amendment to the law ‘On Gambling Business’ was signed off by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
In doing so, it will bring the total number of such zones to six, adding to current provisions for gambling in the city of Konaev in the Almaty region and the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort area in the Akmola region.
Unlike the already existing regions, which are open to both Kazakh citizens and foreign visitors, the four new zones will only be accessible to foreign visitors.
According to Kazakhstan’s government, more than 15.7 million foreigners visited the country in the first nine months of 2025, including many visitors from both Russia and China.
The country’s Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports, Baurzhan Rapikov, said that he expects each new casino to generate 500 jobs and annual tax revenue of between 2bn and 4bn tenge (£3.1m to £6.2m).
The decision to restrict gambling to certain zones mirrors legislation in place in Russia, where the operation of casinos and slot machines is restricted to four areas.
Only targeting foreign citizens is also reminiscent of considerations made in a number of countries across the world.
In South Korea, citizens are restricted to only one casino, with the rest exclusively for foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia and Singapore, local players face strict entry conditions and the requirement to pay an entrance fee.
