Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan signed legislative amendments last July 8. This is to tighten the gambling and lottery regulations in Kazakhstan.
The law introduced restrictive and stimulating norms. It aimed at decreasing gambling addiction among the population. Authorities have expanded the list of those who cannot gamble or bet. They have also established restrictions on bookmakers and sweepstakes advertising.
The law has updated mechanisms for regulating lottery activities. Specifically, it introduced a ban on distributing lottery tickets in certain locations. These include residential buildings, dormitories, religious buildings, cultural organization buildings, and social facilities. It also banned installing lottery terminals within a 100-meter radius of these locations.
Selling energy drinks to anyone under the age of 21 is now allowed. This is to protect the health of the younger generation from the consequences of consuming energy drinks.
Erlan Karin, State Counselor commented that the law was part of the initiatives proposed at the National Kurultai in March in Atyrau.
Last July 8, Karin wrote on his Telegram channel, “One of the biggest accomplishments is the implementation of restrictive measures for those listed in the Unified Register of Debtors, which totals over 3.5 million people. The document also provides for the rehabilitation of citizens suffering from gambling addiction.”
Tokayev called the problem of gambling addiction one of the main social evils in his Atyrau speech.
The chairman of the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, Yerlan Koshanov, wrote a Facebook post last July 8. He said that the worst thing is that gaming addiction is rapidly growing among the youth, causing the breakdown of young families and serving as the root cause of numerous crimes. With the new law, the state puts a powerful barrier against this social evil.
