Landlocked Kazakhstan has existed as a mystery to the western traveler for many hundred years, unknown from the pages of Marco Polo or Kipling. Some outsiders have been enlightened on the enchantment of this central Asian country, other than the merchants who plied the Silk Road. Nevertheless, considering that Kazakhstan accomplished its independence in 1991 and particularly under the insightful and accommodating presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has developed. As the nation blossoms, so do Kazakhstan casinos. Flushed with oil money, it’s boom time in the betting companies of this long ago soviet republic. There are seven cities that have within them legal casino resources of which there are actually twenty eight such places. Indeed if you are aspiring for a bet, the tables are the only game in town, as Kazakhstan casinos are the only gaming operations at liberty there.
Most celebrated to the constant contender would be the long-time capital as well as the colossal city in the country, Almaty, that evident Las Vegas of central Asia, showing off no less than 18 casinos and counting. With a soaring nine per cent development per annum, the Kazakh economy has extended enormously in the last decade and with it the Kazakh craze for the casino tables. The cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic, multinational city of Almaty is masked from its previous period as the first city of a grey Soviet satellite state. New wealth has brought enchantment and of course excitement to the place, a fact best embodied by the city’s greatest casino, Casino Viva. One of a chain, this awesome Kazakhstan casino hotel can claim twenty-six games tables and 93 slot machine games.
What’s more, the fad for Internet poker hasn’t gone unnoticed in Kazakhstan casinos with the introduction of video poker rapidly becoming a leading preference. Outside of Almaty, the intrepid player is also served; e.g., the capital Astana has 5 casinos, the ace one among them being one of the Casino Zodiak chain that holds in no way less than twenty card tables. If that is not enough for gamers, casinos are also to be found further afield in the cities of Aktobe, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Shimkent, along with Ust-kamenogorsk. It is clear, anyway, that the Kazakh favoritism for the green baize and clink of chips is not stated, since the vice-foreign minister lately visited Macao along with Hong Kong. The visit was reported to be a "short but fruitful" trip devised to study the gaming businesses of these towns and encourage appeal in Kazakhstan’s nascent casino industry. In reality, a likely direct air link has been noted between Almaty and Hong Kong or Macao, which could elevate desire for this once charismatic area soon set to become the desire of the in-crowd.