[ English ]

Landlocked Kazakhstan has prolonged to be a mystery to the western traveler for centuries, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. Few outsiders have experienced the fascination of this central Asian country, besides the vendors who plied the Silk Road. However, seeing that Kazakhstan obtained its independence in 1991 and specially under the farsighted and unselfish presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has flourished. As the nation blooms, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil dollars, it’s boom time in the gaming corporations of this long ago soviet republic. There are seven cities that have among them legal casino faculties of which there are conclusively 28 such hangouts. Actually if you are aspiring for a gamble, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only wagering operations authorized there.

Most crucial to the devoted contender has to be the prior capital and colossal city in the area, Almaty, that realistic Las Vegas of central Asia, showing off no less than eighteen casinos and counting. With a rising 9% upsurge every year, the Kazakh economy has expanded enormously in the last ten years and with it the Kazakh demand for the gaming tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is shielded from its last time as the first city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought refinement along with excitement to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s grandest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this amazing Kazakhstan casino hotel can hold 26 games tables and 93 slot games.

What’s more, the mania for Internet poker has not gone unseen in Kazakhstan casinos with the breakthrough of video poker fast becoming a favorite. Outside of Almaty, the high-spirited gambler is also served; for example, the capital Astana has 5 casinos, the key one among them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that boasts in no way less than twenty card tables. If that isn’t actually enough for gamers, casinos are also found further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, and Ust-kamenogorsk. It is apparent, in any case, that the Kazakh dedication for the green baize and clink of chips is not stated, seeing that the vice-foreign minister not long ago visited Macao as well as Hong Kong. The visit was expressed to be a "short but fruitful" trip developed to study the betting resources of these towns and instigate preference in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino business. Certainly, a potential direct air link has been established between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which might build eagerness for this once captivating spot soon set to become the preference of the cream of society.