Earlier, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan announced that compulsive gamblers can now self-"ban" the tempting "gambling needle" thanks to a digital service. The effectiveness of this measure in combating the widespread obsession of Kazakhstanis with roulette, cards, and bets was examined by a local news outlet.
On March 15, during the National Assembly in Atyrau, the country's president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, clearly outlined a number of alarming dependencies in our society. Among them were vaping, "synthetics," and, of course, gambling.
Regarding the latter point, according to the head of state, around 400,000 citizens are clients of bookmakers and casinos, equivalent to the population of a large city.
On March 18, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports responded by stating that citizens of Kazakhstan, as well as foreigners permanently residing in the country, can voluntarily restrict their participation in gambling and betting for a period of six to 12 months through the mobile application eGov mobile.
Referring to Article 15-1 of the Law of Kazakhstan "On Gambling Business," the Ministry explained the procedure.
In the article "Restriction of Participation in Gambling and/or Betting," it is stated that an individual can voluntarily restrict themselves from participating in gambling and/or betting for a period of six months to one year by submitting a written application in any form to any gambling business organizer.
Furthermore, the submitted application cannot be returned or revoked according to the second point of the article.
The most interesting aspect is that conducting gambling and/or betting with individuals listed as restricted from participating is prohibited. However, the practical control of how establishments and their clients will abstain remains unanswered.
It seems that there is a prohibition, but no penalties for its violation. However, according to a lawyer, the mechanism has been in place since 2020, with the possibility to remotely submit applications for self-restriction.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports monitors the situation continuously. They plan to address the gaps in legislation through proposed bills in Parliament regarding gambling business and lotteries.
The proposed bills aim to introduce administrative responsibility for legal entities allowing individuals under 21 and self-restricted individuals to participate in gambling and betting.
In conclusion, while the measure introduced in 2020 may have impacted statistics, it has not definitively solved the problem. Hope lies in the anticipated legislative changes and intervention by the e-government to address the issue, at least partially.
