SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, has ordered government departments to draft plans on imposing new gambling restrictions.
Astana news sources report that President Tokayev has highlighted the dangers of gambling addiction to department leaders at a Security Council meeting.
According to Tokayev, “gambling addiction has increased over recent years and has affected many families in the country”. He pointed specifically to younger people, saying that “youth form a special risk group” in relation to gambling addiction.
The President ordered “relevant ministries to draft concrete tasks” on how to “prevent development of gambling addiction in the country”.
Kazakh Ministries have also been instructed to provide a plan on “legislative, organization, and information and ideological measures to fight gambling addiction among the citizens”.
Concluding his address, Tokayev noted the importance of monitoring financial transactions insisting that “it is important to track all the movements of funds and take necessary measures when violations take place”.
As present, Kazakhstan governs all gambling disciplines under segment No.219 of the “Business Law of 2007”, which contains no legislature for online gambling.
Laws implemented in 2007, focus primarily on Kazakhstan to allow casino gambling zones to be launched in the cities of Kapchagay in the Almaty region and Shchuchinsk in the Akmola region.
Despite President Tokayev’s concerns, the government of Kazakhstan has outlined no intentions to establish a specific gambling law.
