From Fines to Extradition: Kazakhstan Cracks Down on iGaming Bloggers
Kazakhstan, with a population of around 20 million, has emerged in recent years as one of Central Asia's notable digital markets — with a developed IT infrastructure, an active online audience, and a legal sports betting sector. At the same time, the country is tightening its grip on illegal iGaming.
We break down what has changed in Kazakhstan's approach to gambling advertising, why the state has shifted from fines to criminal cases, and what lies ahead for the local market.
Legal offline gambling and the online ban
Offline gambling in Kazakhstan is legal but geographically restricted — casinos, slot machine halls, bookmakers, and totalizators are permitted only in two designated zones. Licenses for gambling business operations are issued by the Committee for Gambling Business and Lottery Regulation and are valid for ten years.
Online casinos, however, are not part of the legal market at all. Kazakhstani legislation draws a clear distinction between casinos and bookmakers. Article 307 of the Criminal Code establishes liability for organizing an illegal gambling business, and law enforcement applies this provision in cases against operators of illegal online casinos.
The challenge is that an illegal online casino may be physically located outside Kazakhstan while still accepting bets from Kazakhstani users. Shutting down such operations is extraordinarily difficult. Government agencies block websites, restrict payment channels, and pursue individuals and companies that help foreign platforms operate in the local market.
There is also a legal online sports betting segment. Bookmakers are permitted to accept bets via the internet, but following Law No. 116-VIII of 2024, they are now subject to significantly stricter advertising regulations.
The restrictions cover advertising on public transport, in media, and across other channels. Kazakhstan is not abandoning legal betting — rather, it is attempting to separate it from illegal online gambling while simultaneously curbing aggressive audience acquisition practices.
From fines to international wanted lists
Until August 2025, bloggers who advertised casinos typically faced nothing more than an administrative fine under Article 455 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for violations of advertising legislation. The scheme proved ineffective: bloggers were earning substantial income from advertising, paying the fines, and continuing their promotional activities.
The AFM cited the telling example of blogger Baller (Shingiskhan Kopbayev): over the course of a year, he was held administratively liable five times for advertising illegal online gambling — yet this did nothing to stop his continued activity.
On August 28, 2025, the AFM announced a change of approach: for repeat offenders, the agency planned to examine their actions in the context of Part 5, Article 28 of the Criminal Code — as complicity in an illegal gambling business. At the same time, the agency initiated the introduction of a separate criminal liability provision specifically for advertising online casinos.
The AFM's first public list included 34 bloggers: 11 had already been held administratively liable, while materials on the remaining 23 were forwarded to the Ministry of Culture. By 2026, the format of punishment had moved well beyond fines.
In January 2026, iGaming influencer Kaisar Kamzu was placed on an international wanted list. In June, he was detained in Vietnam, and crypto assets worth $182,700 were seized. On August 6, Kamzu was extradited to Kazakhstan. According to investigators, from January 2025 he received approximately $200,000 for advertising illegal online casinos.
Kamzu is named in the case of Makhmud Khikmatov (Maxa.dxb), whom the AFM identifies as the coordinator of a network that recruited more than 35 bloggers. Khikmatov has also been placed on an international wanted list.
Notably, Kazakhstani law enforcement is also pursuing Belarusian blogger Mellstroy (Andrei Burim). He was placed on a wanted list in November 2025 in a case related to advertising the Mellstroy casino to a Kazakhstani audience.
Over the course of a year, the risk level has effectively changed for all iGaming influencers. Where advertising an illegal casino once meant a fine, the most high-profile cases now involve criminal prosecution, international wanted lists, and extradition.
Why is Kazakhstan intensifying pressure on illegal iGaming?
The blogger crackdown is part of a broader campaign. Kazakhstan is simultaneously scaling up the blocking of illegal websites, targeting payment infrastructure, and pursuing criminal schemes linked to online gambling.
In the first half of 2026, authorities in the country blocked 9,000 illegal iGaming sites and accounts, and shut down 2,300 fraudulent resources. The turnover of criminal groups identified during this period exceeded 113 billion tenge — approximately $245 million.
For comparison, in December 2025 law enforcement uncovered another scheme that, according to the AFM, generated up to 106 billion tenge ($225.6 million) for its organizers between 2021 and 2025. The AFM reported that over 2.5 years it had shut down 205 underground casinos and brought 224 individuals to criminal liability.
Notably, data from analytical reports confirms that the illegal market is doing quite well. The majority of activity takes place online: offline venues can be physically shut down, while an operator running from abroad continues to accept Kazakhstani traffic.
As a result, regulators are increasingly targeting payment systems, crypto assets, advertising channels, affiliates, and influencers. In essence, Kazakhstan is gradually trying to cut off every component of the funnels through which illegal operators gain access to local users.
Licensed casinos, bookmakers, and totalizators continue to operate within the legal framework. Affiliate networks carry dozens of offers targeting KZ, and spy tools show hundreds of creatives in various formats. In other words, the offshore sector doesn't stop for a single day.
Conclusion
Kazakhstan is gradually turning the gray iGaming sector into a market where the cost of mistakes is high — law enforcement is hunting down those who help illegal products acquire local traffic. But as practice shows, this often turns into a battle against windmills.
