Combating Gambling Addiction: Legislative Initiatives and Betting Centre Disputes
A bill aimed at preventing gambling addiction is being finalised in the House of Representatives.
Introduction
In recent days, a bill aimed at combating gambling addiction has been finalised in the Majilis. The focus is on banning betting and casino visits for persons under 25 years of age, as well as for military personnel, civil servants and debtors.
Ban for Certain Categories of Citizens
The new bill proposes restrictions for young people under the age of 25, as well as military and government officials. In addition, debtors will also be banned from gambling. The measure is aimed at reducing the risks associated with gambling addiction among the most vulnerable categories of citizens.
Opposition to Lobbyists
One of the key points of the bill was to counter the lobbyists who have been trying for several years to introduce the Betting Record Centre (BRC) into the gambling industry. This was first proposed in 2020 and would have created an organisation to monitor all sports betting.
Background to the Issue
The initiative to introduce the ATC came from representatives of the so-called ‘Old Kazakhstan’, including figures such as Kairat Satybaldy and Karim Masimov. Timur Turlov was also interested in the project. The company planned to charge 4% of the entire market for its services, which would amount to about 30-40 billion tenge.
However, in 2020 the implementation of the MCC was stopped due to a corruption scandal in the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The head of the company responsible for the project was caught taking bribes and the topic was frozen.
Revival of the Idea
With the beginning of the development of new amendments to the law, the idea of reviving the MCC has again appeared on the agenda. However, the deputies, led by the head of the working group Yelnur Beisenbayev, firmly opposed it. Beisenbayev assured that lobbyists would not pass and that the MCC was planned to be excluded from the profile law. The President is also opposed to any such ‘pads’.
Influence of the Russian Experience
Despite this, about a month ago Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Federation and co-owner of the company ‘Unified UCCIS’ in Russia, arrived in Astana. After his visit, a document with a proposal to introduce a similar UTFIS in Kazakhstan started circulating in the corridors of the House of Ministries.
Conclusion
Watching the development of events, one may wonder: will the deputies continue to insist on the exclusion of UCIS from the legislation or will they agree to the Russian version? It is important to understand what task is before the Parliament: to really fight against ludomania or to transfer control over betting into the hands of interested parties?
From information sent by an anonymous source
