TLDR
- Kazakhstan banks rejected more than 400,000 transactions linked to illegal gambling between October 2025 and March 2026.
- The blocked transactions totaled $20.8 million and involved 110 blacklisted companies and payment providers.
- Authorities arrested 11 bank employees suspected of helping operators dodge the restrictions.
- Mobile carriers Tele2, Beeline, Kcell, and Activ are now coordinating with the government to block payments in real time.
- Kazakhstan is expanding land-based gambling zones in four tourism regions, though local residents will not be allowed inside.
Kazakhstan has stepped up efforts to stop illegal online gambling by targeting the payment systems that support it. New data shows the country’s banks have been rejecting a large number of transactions tied to unlicensed gambling operators.
The numbers come from a report by Blask. Between October 2025 and March 2026, second-tier banks in Kazakhstan blocked more than 400,000 transactions.
Those transactions were connected to 110 companies and payment providers that had been placed on a blacklist. Together, they added up to $20.8 million, or about £15.6 million.
Banking Crackdown Details
The scale of the blocked transfers shows how central payment enforcement has become to Kazakhstan’s fight against illegal gambling. Instead of just going after operators directly, officials are focusing on cutting off the money.
This approach has not been limited to blocking transactions. Eleven employees at financial institutions were arrested on suspicion of helping gambling operators get around the bans.
The arrests suggest that some bank staff were involved in letting blocked transactions slip through. Authorities appear to be treating this as part of the same enforcement push.
Kazakhstan has also brought mobile phone carriers into the effort. Tele2, Beeline, Kcell, and Activ have all been contacted to help block gambling-related payments as they happen.
Geoblocking is another tool being used. This prevents unlicensed operators from reaching people inside Kazakhstan through their websites and apps.
Under current law, online casinos are banned in Kazakhstan. Sports betting online is allowed, but only through a limited number of approved bookmakers.
This leaves very little room for people in Kazakhstan to gamble online through legal channels. Most online gambling activity in the country falls outside the law.
Kazakhstan’s strategy reflects a pattern seen in other countries. Regulators are shifting away from fines and toward disrupting the infrastructure that keeps illegal operators running.
In the Netherlands, a similar shift has been described by regulator Kansspelautoriteit. Director Ella Seijsener said last month that fines alone have not worked against a growing black market.
She said fines are hard to collect and are rarely paid in full. Instead, she said regulators need to work with banks, hosting companies, and payment providers to limit how illegal operators function.
Expansion of Land-Based Gambling
While online gambling faces tighter rules, Kazakhstan is moving in a different direction for land-based venues. Reports from May said lawmakers want to expand gambling zones to help boost the economy.
Four areas have been proposed for this expansion. They include Mangistau on the Caspian Sea coast, the Panfilov district and Lake Alakol in Zhetysu, the Talgar district in the Almaty region, and the Markakol area with the Zaisan district in East Kazakhstan.
These zones are aimed at tourism rather than local residents. Reports indicate the new venues will not be open to people who live in Kazakhstan.
The government plans to include social responsibility measures alongside the expansion. This keeps the split in place between land-based gambling aimed at tourists and continued restrictions on online gambling for citizens.
