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Read Full BioKyrgyzstan announced the arrest of an individual running an illegal online casino and warned social media influencers of criminal prosecution for promoting gambling sites.
The Cybercrime Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that one man was arrested and had allegedly collaborated with well-known media figures in the country.
Advertising gambling and online casinos is banned in the country, and the Ministry issued a strong warning to influencers found to be promoting sites.
In comments reported by the BBC, attorney Sherdor Abdykaparov warned that celebrities are not beyond the law, stating: “If certain singers, bloggers, and artists thought that simply asking the public for forgiveness would get them off the hook for advertising online casinos, keep in mind that you can now face criminal liability.”
Abdykaparov is an active campaigner against online fraud and cybercrimes. Promoting gambling in Kyrgyzstan carries fines of up to three years’ wages or six months in prison.
Officials or media editors found to be advertising illegal platforms can face penalties of up to three years in prison.
Kazakhstan Also Prosecuting Illegal Sites And Promoters
Neighboring Kazakhstan has similar strict laws against gambling and its promotion. The government announced that it has blocked over 17,000 online casino sites since the start of the year.
The country issued a similar warning to social media influencers over advertising platforms. The Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Financial Monitoring said it has identified 34 individuals found to be receiving large sums of money for promoting gambling.
Agency spokesperson Yernar Taizhan said, “The agency has identified 34 bloggers and influencers involved in advertising online gambling. Eleven of these have been charged with violations of the criminal code. We have also sent cases involving 23 content creators to the Ministry of Culture for further action.”
Kazakh news site Sputnik reports that hip-hop artist “Baller” (real name – Shyngyskhan Kopbayev) has been charged five times since the beginning of the year.
Niko_nett, real name Nail Turganov, who has over 2 million followers on Instagram, was allegedly paid 8 million tenge ($17,600) for promoting gambling sites.
Fellow influencer Oomariko (Mariam Kulzhabayeva) has over 740,000 Instagram followers and reportedly received 350,000 tenge ($770) per promotional story.
California Moving Towards Criminalizing Influencers Promoting Gambling
While Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have strict laws prohibiting gambling, in the US, some states are moving in the same direction. A bill that will ban sweepstakes casinos in California advanced to the Senate floor this week.
Under the terms of the bill, individuals promoting unregulated gambling platforms, such as influencers, could face fines of $25,000 and up to 1 year in jail.
High-profile figures such as Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest, and Drake could be prosecuted under the new regulations. However, Drake recently broke ties with sweepstakes casino Stake, which would exempt him from any liability.
