Landlocked Kazakhstan has continued to be a mystery to the western traveler for ages, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. A handful of outsiders have acquainted themselves with the appeal of this central Asian country, besides the merchants who plied the Silk Road. Regardless, seeing that Kazakhstan obtained its independence in 1991 and above all under the ingenious and benevolent presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has expanded. As the nation blossoms, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil currency, it’s boom time in the gaming companies of this long ago soviet republic. There are 7 cities that have within them legal casino facilities of which there are for certain 28 such locations. Certainly if you are hungry for a game, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only casino gambling operations authorized there.
Most notable to the inclined bettor has to be the one-time capital and of course greatest city in the region, Almaty, that convincing Las Vegas of central Asia, flaunting not less than 18 casinos and counting. With a climbing 9 percent enhancement per year, the Kazakh economy has developed greatly in the last decade and with it the Kazakh aspiration for the gambling tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is unrecognizable from its preceding days as the central city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought glamor and also exhilaration to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s biggest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this fantastic Kazakhstan casino hotel can claim twenty-six games tables and ninety three gaming machines.
What’s more, the mania for online poker hasn’t gone unnoticed in Kazakhstan casinos with the breakthrough of video poker hurriedly becoming a leading preference. Outside of Almaty, the high-spirited bettor is also served; for example, the capital Astana has 5 casinos, the chief one amidst them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that holds not less than twenty card tables. If that is not enough for individuals, casinos are also found further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, as well as Ust-kamenogorsk. It is obvious, regardless, that the Kazakh admiration for the green baize and clink of chips isn’t stated, due to the fact that the vice-foreign minister recently visited Macao as well as Hong Kong. The visit was reported to be a "short but fruitful" trip developed to study the wagering industries of these towns and impel appeal in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino business. In fact, a likely direct air link has been touted between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which would bolster appetite for this once charismatic destination soon set to become the choice of the elite.
