Over the past two and a half years, the gambling industry in Almaty Region has contributed 184.7 billion tenge in taxes, of which 53.8 billion tenge went to the regional budget. In the last six months alone, casinos paid 25 billion tenge in taxes, including 10.6 billion tenge to the regional budget, reports the website infohub.kz.
Currently, 21 gambling establishments operate legally in the city of Konayev: five casinos, three slot machine halls, and 13 betting shops. About 20% of casino visitors are foreigners, boosting tourism. According to Kuanyshbek Mirabekuly, head of the regional tourism department, each tourist visiting Konayev stays in hotels, eats at restaurants, uses transport, and shops, which supports small and medium-sized businesses and creates new jobs.
In addition to Konayev, a new special gambling zone is planned in the Talgar District under the Law on Gambling. The regional public council has already endorsed the proposal. Talgar District is closer to Almaty than Konayev, near the international airport, and has well-developed infrastructure for mountain, health, and recreational tourism. The new zone will be open only to foreigners. Mirabekuly said it is seen as part of the region's tourism ecosystem, expanding the range of services and creating opportunities for service infrastructure development, including hotels, catering, transport, and retail.
Earlier, it was reported that over 463,000 Kazakhstanis have self-excluded from gambling via the Egov portal.