Kazakhstan is doubling down on gambling zones, with the government announcing several new zones in cities and popular resort areas.
Under existing law, gambling is only permitted in two areas: the city of Konaev in the Almaty region and the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort area in the north-central Akmola region.
But on May 17, 2026, the government announced new zones on the shores of the Caspian Sea, Zaysan, and Markakol.
And, as of July 1, gambling operators can also open casinos in the city of Alatau, the Kazakh media outlet Zakon reported.
The government first unveiled its expansion plans back in January. At the time, the tourism ministry predicted that each new casino could raise around $6 million worth of tax revenue.
Kazakhstan Gambling Zones: Big Plans for Little City
In 2007, Kazakhstan banned all land-based casinos, slot machine halls, bookmakers, and betting shops, but carved out the two aforementioned exceptions.
While the notion of adding more coastal resorts follows the government’s 2007 playbook, adding an urban center to the list of gambling zones marks a major departure.
Zakon, quoting government sources, said that the goal of the Alatau “project” is “to create an “economic, technological, scientific, educational, commercial, entertainment, and investment center of international significance.”
The Kazakh government has high hopes for Alatau, and hopes to transform it into a partially deregulated area that attracts overseas businesses and crypto firms.
The settlement, formerly known as Zhetygen, has around 55,000 residents. The government plans to transform it into a busy metropolis with a population of 2 million by 2050.
Companies setting up shop in Alatau will be given special tax breaks. The government will also let them use a range of foreign currencies as legal tender.
The government will also let them use English in official documentation. The tax breaks will include waivers for corporate tax, property tax, and certain forms of VAT.
What is more, “highly qualified foreign specialists” will not need to pay income tax. “Secured digital assets” will also not be subject to taxation.
Plans for a Global Business Hub
“What was once an ordinary village,” wrote Zakon journalist Andrey Gubenko in a separate piece for the same media outlet, “must become a smart city and a global business hub in the foreseeable future.”
Per the text of the government’s updated Alatau-related regulations, city administrators have “the right to recognize licenses, permits, accreditations, and other documents confirming the right to carry out activities issued in countries with a high-quality infrastructure and/or international organizations as determined by the administration.”
As such, as things stand, Gubenko said, this could allow the city to attract a wide range of overseas gaming operators.
The plans, the journalist wrote, would allow foreign investors to open a land-based or online casino Alatau “with a license issued elsewhere.“
Late last year, Australian police arrested a Kazakh couple who allegedly used a secret camera and earpieces to cheat at casino table games. The pair used the devices to win around $800,000 at the Crown Sydney Casino.
