During the first six months of the current year, the gambling business in the Almaty region contributed 25 billion tenge in taxes to the state budget, of which 10.6 billion tenge went to the regional treasury, reports the website infohub.kz.
Overall, over the past two and a half years, the industry has remitted 184.7 billion tenge in taxes, with 53.8 billion tenge allocated to the regional budget. Currently, the city of Konayev hosts 21 gambling facilities: five casinos, 13 bookmaking offices, and three slot machine halls. The industry employs about 2,500 people.
The gambling business also boosts tourism. According to the Tourism Department, about 20% of casino visitors are foreign nationals. "Every tourist coming to Konayev stays in hotels, visits catering outlets, uses transport, trade, and other services. This in turn fosters small and medium-sized businesses, creates new jobs, and revitalizes the local economy. Therefore, increasing tourist flow positively impacts the development of the region's service sector," said Kuanyshbek Mirabekuly, head of the Tourism Department.
Under the current Law on Gambling Business, a new gambling zone intended exclusively for foreign citizens is planned in the Talgar district. This initiative has received a positive opinion from the public council. The project's location in the Talgar district is due to its high tourist potential: the district is near Almaty and the international airport, and boasts developed infrastructure for mountain, health, and recreation tourism.
"The Talgar district is one of the most developed tourist destinations in the region. It is home to the Akbulak sports and recreation complex, the Oi-Qaragai ski resort, the Aquaasia Resort complex, and the Tal Resort recreation area. Therefore, the new gambling zone is seen as part of the region's tourism ecosystem. This will expand the range of tourist services and create additional opportunities for the development of service infrastructure," emphasized Kuanyshbek Mirabekuly.
The regional administration added that the project's implementation will give impetus to the development of the hotel business, catering, transport, trade, and other services, create new jobs, attract investments, and increase budget revenues.