When will casinos open in Kyrgyzstan?

One year ago (June 2022), 10 years after the ban on gambling establishments in the country, the President together with the Parliament passed a law authorizing and regulating gambling. The law stipulates that the opening of casinos is allowed in a designated area in the Issyk-Kul region. However, according to recent reports, gambling establishments may appear in other regions. Should we wait for the opening of gambling establishments in this year, 2023?

Despite the fact that the first three applications from operators wishing to obtain licenses were received at the end of last year, there is no information that they have been issued yet. However, the head of the country's Cabinet is confident that in 2023, the first casinos in the country will still begin to open. By the way, in 2022, one of the organizations has already received a license to work online betting.

Recently, listeners of the local radio station "Europe plus" paid attention to the constantly running advertisement of a new casino in Kyrgyzstan, where dealers are required. The advertisement said that the establishment would operate in Bishkek (the capital) in a building that belonged to the Golden Dragon restaurant. Journalists contacted the indicated phone numbers and received the following information regarding the requirements and wishes of the administration:

new employees and experienced dealers who worked at the casino before 2012 are welcome to apply;
all those hired will receive training and education (about two weeks);
English language skills are desirable;
applicants can familiarize themselves with the place and conditions of work;
information about the license received by the new casino on the phone is not provided, but the person answering the phone states that the institution will open by April 14.

Reporters found out that the trainings are conducted by citizens of India. As it turned out, they are going to open the first casino in the country. First of all, the operator is interested in employees with experience, but first trainings are held for applicants who have never worked in the gambling industry. According to some applicants who have already started training, the gaming room is almost fully staffed. There are gambling tables and machines.

Nevertheless, representatives of the Ministry of Economy state that no gambling licenses have been issued in Kyrgyzstan so far. Whether or not a new casino will open in the near future is a real intrigue.