Kazakhstan is preparing to launch ESU, a unified betting accounting system, by legislative amendments in the past year. This platform will record all transactions between operators and their customers to ensure state control. According to Zakon.kz, Adilet Turganbaev is the Chairman of the Committee for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MTS). He announced the launch during a podcast by the Central Communications Service.
The key task of the ESU is to identify customers, as well as the legality of their bets. Turghanbaev said that the team of the regulator studied successful international practices when starting to develop it. He pointed to markets like Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and several U.S. states. These regions have chosen to transfer iGaming regulation to the state. The Kazakh government is introducing online control tools to access information about bets, following their example.
Official data shows that the annual turnover of Kazakhstan’s legal gambling market is 1.3 trillion tenge, or about €2 billion. There are an estimate of 2.5 million customers registered on websites of legal bookmakers, of whom around 450,000 play regularly. According to a 2024 study, 500,000 players are betting with illegal bookmakers. These operators don’t pay taxes and offer no guarantees of responsible gaming. Turghanbaev says offshore companies receive these bets sent from within the country.
In addition to regulating the legal sector, the ESU is tasked with identifying and blocking illegal websites using AI. The regulator aims to protect players and prevent funds from leaking out of the Kazakh economy.
In the iGaming sector, the ESU will become a unified state information system for all necessary checks. It includes three components.
First is controlling access to gambling and restricting vulnerable categories of citizens from gambling.
Second is fighting the illegal market by blocking up to 1,000 sites everyday.
Third is registration o bets to protect the interests of players.
