Casinos in Kazakhstan
February 22nd, 2010 at 6:21
Landlocked Kazakhstan has existed as a mystery to the western traveler for many hundred years, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. A handful of outsiders have acquainted themselves with the attraction of this central Asian country, besides the vendors who plied the Silk Road. Still, because Kazakhstan obtained its independence in 1991 and above all under the intelligent and accommodating presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has grown. As the nation blossoms, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil dollars, it’s boom time in the betting companies of this passed soviet republic. There are seven cities that have among them legal casino capacities of which there are conclusively twenty eight such locations. Indeed if you are hungry for a game, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only wagering operations justified there.
Most distinguished to the committed contender would be the former capital and also colossal city in the area, Almaty, that veritable Las Vegas of central Asia, claiming not less than 18 casinos and counting. With an elevating 9% increase every year, the Kazakh economy has developed excessively in the last 10 years and with it the Kazakh craze for the gambling tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is masked from its preceding period as the chief city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought enchantment as well as excitement to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s greatest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this extravagant Kazakhstan casino hotel can have 26 games tables and ninety-three coin-operated machines.
What’s more, the fad for web-based poker hasn’t gone unnoticed in Kazakhstan casinos with the innovation of video poker swiftly becoming a favorite. Outside of Almaty, the fearless gambler is also served; for instance, the capital Astana has 5 casinos, the key one in the midst of them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that enjoys no less than 20 card tables. If that is not enough for you, casinos are also to be found further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, and Ust-kamenogorsk. It is very clear, however, that the Kazakh favoritism for the green baize and clink of chips isn’t stated, due to the fact that the vice-foreign minister a short time ago went to Macao and Hong Kong. The visit was reported to be a "short but fruitful" trip designed to study the wagering market of these towns and instigate preference in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino business. In fact, a plausible direct air link has been endorsed between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which should build appetite for this once alluring area soon set to become the favorite of the right people.