All gambling in Kazakhstan is to be restricted to two towns – Kapshagai and Shchuchinsk – it has been announced. From January 1, 2007, casino operators, along with bookmakers and slot halls, will be forced to move to either Shchuchinsk, in the north of the country, or Kapshagai, in the south-west.
Recent legislation passed by the country’s National Security Council is waiting only to be rubber-stamped by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has previously suggested his parliament should hurry its reading of the bill.
With a population of just 15million, Kazakhstan has an estimated 2,200 gaming halls and casinos – this is an exceptionally high number per head of the population, and has caused some consternation among officials and politicians. Kazakh Finance Minister Natalya Korzhova has been quoted by some news agencies as saying: “Gambling mania, which for our society is a bane like drug addiction, will finally leave our families.”
The move comes as the country strives to encourage foreign investment. It follows recent moves for a similar arrangement in Russia, though this has yet top pass through State Duma.
Will the plans for Russia's 'remote' gaming areas go ahead as the State Duma has described?
- 27 - 29 January, 2009
International Casino Exhibition 2009 - UK
