Are there really 400K addicts in Kazakhstan? – George Mamulaishvili commentary

According to recent news, the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to approve a comprehensive anti-compulsive gaming plan. The head of state announced this instruction at the National Kurultai meeting last week.

The National Kurultai, or, as it is called in Kazakhstan was created in 2022 on the President’s initiative as an advisory body. It is a community of intellectuals, business representatives, civil activists, clergy and experts.

The President stated that the government should plan how to legally restrict gambling addiction. At the initiative of the Amanat party faction, a bill was drafted which effectively made self-exclusion possible online.?

Tokayev claimed that about 400,000 citizens are regular bookmakers and casino customers, including an alarming number of minors. With a population of 20 million, this would amount to 2% of the population. He also made a furious speech about gambling harm. 

“Compulsive gambling brings untold misery, destroying thousands of families, pushing many into crime. Day after day there is news of people getting into debt because of gambling and taking their own lives. This addiction causes great harm to the young generation, online gambling is turning into an everyday leisure activity for children,” the head of state said on the Kurultai meeting. 

Other news indicate great demand for gambling in Kazakhstan and, accordingly, tax revenue growth in the field. SiGMA News asked independent expert George Mamulaishvili, head of the Georgian Gambling Association, for a clarifying comment. 

“Unfortunately, some officials have repeatedly misled the public and the Kazakhstan government by using populism in their statements to raise their ratings with voters.

First and most importantly, it is a big mistake to claim that 400,000 young people are addicted to online gambling. The question arises, where do these statistics come from? No specific market study has been published yet. The data from a 2022 study in Kazakhstan doesn’t confirm the fact that minors are gambling. I know that particular survey contained a general question about computer games, not gambling.

Secondly, if Kazakhstan operated bookmakers accept bets from the mentioned alarming number of minors, which is unlikely, these are the legislation and the gambling monitoring system’s problems. If officials refer to illegal sites that operate in Kazakhstan, they confirm the fact that the statistics are not correct.

Finally, it is worth considering that the confirmation of compulsive gambling is a labour-intensive process that requires a thorough psychological study. Without this, it is impossible to say that all those players are addicts.

Stigmatization of the population is another mistake of officials. The category that really needs help hides its addiction owing to social rejection. People with gambling issues, on the contrary, need social integration for their further rehabilitation.”

Legal operators – responsible gambling

“Many studies show that the percentage of gambling addicts in online gambling is lower than offline. There are many tools in the industry to guide consumers’ actions. Implementing such tools in legal operators controlled by state authorities is much easier than fighting illegal operators.

The biggest problem that arises from bans is that illegal market develops proportionally. We know that only sports betting is allowed in Kazakhstan, and illegal operators and other criminal elements are getting interested in the gambling market. In contrast, the local legit operators’ development allows to limit the underground ones.?

Prohibition does no good and the government should realize this”, – stresses George.

First measures for self-exclusion

At the time of writing, on 18 March, Kazakh authorities introduced a digital self-exclusion service for citizens and residents, amid the government’s pledge to take “a number of new measures to combat gambling addiction”.

The request can be submitted via the eGov mobile application using a personal electronic digital signature. Previously, the request could only be submitted in paper form, which took up to eight working days.