Government recommends officials not to go to casinos in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s Agency for Civil Service has recommended law enforcement, military and civil officials not to go to casinos unless it’s necessary for the service.

What happened? If new legislation is adopted, Kazakhstani military officers, public servants and law enforcement officials will be obliged not to go to casinos. The draft document is available for public consideration on the legalacts.egov.kz website.

«Every time a representative of the government visits a casino, it draws justified criticism from the society and involves reputational risks for the state authority. Citizens impose high demands on officials and they should restrain from actions that can compromise their dignity in the eyes of the society,» the document says.

The only reason officials should visit casinos is if they are on business.

«These new amendments to the legislation will introduce new recommendations to military servants to persuade them not to visit casinos,» the agency said in a statement.

The draft document will be available for public discussions until August 28.

In October 2022, more than 300 officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Finance spent $1,122.631 in casinos in the town of Qonaev, according to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Almaty region.

In June 2023, the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan reported that it didn’t fire its 25 employees who spent $55,356 in casinos.