Landlocked Kazakhstan has been a mystery to the western traveler for centuries, unknown except in the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. Few outsiders have experienced the charms of this central Asian country, apart from the merchants plying the Silk Road. However, since Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991 and especially under the benevolent and farsighted presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has flourished. As the nation prospers, so do the casinos of Kazakhstan. Filled with oil money, this is the boom time for gambling establishments in this former Soviet republic. There are seven cities that have legal casino facilities within them, of which there are exactly twenty-eight such locations. In fact, if you are hungry for a bet, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only gambling operations allowed there.
Most notable for the dedicated player must be the country’s former capital and largest city, Almaty, that true Central Asian Las Vegas, boasting no less than 18 casinos and counting. Growing at a dizzying nine percent a year, the Kazakh economy has expanded tremendously in the last ten years and with it the Kazakh appetite for gaming tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic and multinational city of Almaty is unrecognizable from its previous existence as the main city of a Soviet gray satellite state. The new wealth has brought glamor and excitement to the place, a fact that is best embodied in the city’s largest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this fabulous Kazakhstan hotel casino can claim twenty-six table games and ninety-three slot machines.
What’s more, the internet poker craze has not gone unnoticed in Kazakhstan casinos and video poker innovation has quickly become a favorite. Outside of Almaty, the intrepid gamer is also served; For example, the capital, Astana, has five casinos, the main one of which is one of the Casino Zodiak chain that enjoys no less than twenty gaming tables. If that’s not enough for anyone, the casinos are also further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, and Ust-kamenogorsk. However, it is clear that the Kazakh fondness for the green baize and the jingle of potato chips is not satisfied, as the Deputy Foreign Minister recently visited Macau and Hong Kong. The visit was reported to be a “short but fruitful” trip designed to study the gambling industries of these cities and foster interest in Kazakhstan’s fledgling casino business. In fact, a possible direct air link between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macau has been touted, which should bolster the enthusiasm for this once-exotic location that will soon become the crowd’s choice.