Over 150,000 Kazakhstanis self-ban from gambling

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, over 150,000 Kazakhstanis have voluntarily banned themselves from gambling. Among them, 11% are women and the average age of those seeking the ban ranges from 25 to 49.

The ministry’s data reveals a typical profile of a self-banned gambler: a man aged 25 to 49 who applied through eGov mobile. Out of the total applicants, 17,499 are women and 135,687 are men. Of the applications, 149,973 were submitted via eGov mobile, while 3,213 were submitted in writing.

In early June, reports indicated that over 130,000 Kazakhstanis had imposed self-bans on gambling. Since March 18, Kazakhstan has offered an online service allowing citizens to self-limit their participation in gambling for periods ranging from six months to a year. Previously, individuals seeking to restrict their gambling had to submit written applications through gambling operators.

Within two weeks of the launch of the online service, over 7,000 Kazakhstani gamblers used the new system to impose self-bans.

Additionally, in early June, the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of Parliament, approved amendments to the gambling law. These changes will extend the gambling ban to approximately 280,000 officials, military personnel and heads of state-funded organizations. Citizens listed in the unified register of debtors will also be barred from participating in gambling. The Senate passed the amendments on June 27.