[ English ]

Landlocked Kazakhstan has lasted as a mystery to the western traveler for generations, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. A handful of outsiders have been enlightened on the attraction of this central Asian country, apart from the merchandisers who plied the Silk Road. Yet, since Kazakhstan achieved its independence in 1991 and particularly under the ingenious and benevolent presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has flourished. As the nation enhances, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil cash, it’s boom time in the wagering businesses of this long ago soviet republic. There are 7 cities that have within them legal casino faculties of which there are actually 28 such areas. Actually if you are hungry for a wager, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only wagering operations at liberty there.

Most critical to the inclined contender should be the passed capital and of course largest city in the area, Almaty, that believable Las Vegas of central Asia, boasting no less than eighteen casinos and counting. With a climbing 9 per cent increase per year, the Kazakh economy has extended excessively in the last ten yrs. and with it the Kazakh craving for the betting tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is invisible from its previous period as the first city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought glamor and of course fascination to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s greatest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this fabulous Kazakhstan casino hotel can claim twenty-six games tables and ninety three slot machines.

What’s more, the infatuation for on-line poker hasn’t gone disregarded in Kazakhstan casinos with the introduction of video poker rapidly becoming a preferred choice. Outside of Almaty, the adventurous casino player is also served; for e.g., the capital Astana has 5 casinos, the ace one amongst them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that enjoys definitely no less than 20 card tables. If that is not actually enough for gamblers, casinos are also to be found further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, as well as Ust-kamenogorsk. It is obvious, anyway, that the Kazakh dedication for the green baize and clink of chips isn’t stated, seeing that the vice-foreign minister lately went to Macao as well as Hong Kong. The visit was expressed to be a "short but fruitful" trip developed to study the games industries of these towns and encourage interest in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino industry. As a matter of fact, a plausible direct air link has been endorsed between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which could build appetite for this once beautiful place soon set to become the alternative of the elite.