[ English ]

Landlocked Kazakhstan has remained a mystery to the western traveler for ages, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. A couple of outsiders have acquainted themselves with the charisma of this central Asian country, apart from the merchandisers who plied the Silk Road. Nevertheless, since Kazakhstan attained its independence in 1991 and above all under the clever and favorable presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has expanded. As the nation thrives, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil capital, it’s boom time in the playing corporations of this passed soviet republic. There are seven cities that have amidst them legal casino facilities of which there are for certain twenty-eight such venues. In truth if you are hungry for a stake, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only wagering operations authorized there.

Most distinguished to the committed casino player will have to be the prior capital and greatest city in the area, Almaty, that apparent Las Vegas of central Asia, claiming no less than eighteen casinos and counting. With a soaring 9 per cent upsurge every year, the Kazakh economy has enhanced exceptionally in the last ten yrs. and with it the Kazakh demand for the gaming tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is masked from its previous status as the core city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought glamor as well as thrill to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s greatest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this awesome Kazakhstan casino hotel can maintain twenty six games tables and ninety three slot machines.

What’s more, the frenzy for cyber poker hasn’t gone neglected in Kazakhstan casinos with the introduction of video poker hastily becoming a leading choice. Outside of Almaty, the brave bettor is also served; for example, the capital Astana has five casinos, the main one amongst them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that enjoys no less than twenty card tables. If that is not nearly enough for gamblers, casinos are also further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, also Ust-kamenogorsk. It is very clear, then, that the Kazakh admiration for the green baize and clink of chips isn’t stated, seeing as the vice-foreign minister lately visited Macao and Hong Kong. The visit was reported to be a "short but fruitful" trip constructed to study the wagering businesses of these towns and empower preference in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino business. Actually, a potential direct air link has been credited between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which may bolster appetite for this once charismatic area soon set to become the alternative of the in-crowd.