Kazakhstan Revising Gambling Framework
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The Kazakh government has revealed that it will demand every gambling operation in the country to file direct reports on the profiles and gambling activities of Kazakhstani residents.
Approval by Parliament:
The order was officially validated by the Mazhilis, aka Parliament, which instructed the latest gambling reporting obligations to be added to Kazakhstan’s Tax Code. Additionally, the source reported: “As dictated by the deputies of Parliament, owners of betting companies and totalizators must transmit information about the size of bets, losses and winnings to the tax authorities online.”
Furthermore, gambling operators licensed in the aforementioned country will be obliged to integrate software and hardware systems with those of the National Tax Authority in order to instantly transmit the necessary info about the activities of users.
The latest rules will also reportedly apply to national banks, which have to offer necessary information on the processing of citizens’ gambling transactions within a period of ten days. In addition, the information should involve “balance transfers” in addition to approval of “individual transactions” with gaming operators.
Radical overhaul of Kazakhstan’s gambling laws:
A detailed examination of the gambling laws in the country was instructed by Kassym Tokayev, Kazakhstan’s President, worried about the “manifestation of gambling addiction among Kazakh youth and the public incurring debt due to addiction.”
The audit was carried out by Yerzhan Erkinbayev, the Deputy Minister, who released draft amendments in September suggesting to increase the current gambling age limit from 21 to 25. Additional proposals aim to expand the criminal accountability of gaming establishments for minor offenses and the provision of non-legal gambling services, so that they may be straightly prosecuted by the federal police force of Kazakhstan.
Since gaining official independence from the Soviet Union during 1991, the country has had no dedicated legislative framework to regulate gaming fields. Currently, a single regulatory policy approved back in 2007 permitted the Akmola and Almaty provinces to operate casinos owned by the state, which operate in “authorized gambling zones.”
From the moment of his intervention, it has been unveiled that the said president will consider 62 suggestions associated with the lottery, gambling and other wagering activities. Regardless of calls for acute change, he hasn’t defined plans to enact a separate gambling law in the country.
Consideration of stricter public access to gambling:
In other news, in recent months, specifically in September, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports verified that it would suggest a strict set of rules to “tighten public access to gambling venues.” Additionally, the announcement was revealed by the aforementioned Deputy Minister, who stated that his sector is ready to present its suggestions on protection against gambling at the request of President Tokayev.
