2 Sentenced to Four Years in Kazakhstan’s KZT3.1B Casino Case

Kazakhstan’s Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) confirmed the sentences in its October 9 announcement. The case was investigated by its Shymkent department, which traced the gambling payments through bank accounts registered to 14 money mules.

WhatsApp Invitations and Third-Party Bank Accounts

The casinos recruited customers through WhatsApp messages offering access to gambling. Interested players were registered on the platforms and given login credentials, along with bank account details for depositing money.

The same third-party banking arrangements were used to pay out winnings. Investigators identified 14 people whose accounts handled the transactions, although the agency has not disclosed the number of players or individual deposits.

The operation ran from January 2023 until November 2025. Its criminal case was sent to court in July 2026, when both defendants were reported to be under house arrest.

KZT2.6 Billion Transferred as Winnings

The financial breakdown was published before the verdict. In a July 10 report, Kazinform quoted AFM investigators as saying that KZT2.6 billion (about $5.79 million) had been transferred to players as winnings. Another KZT685.7 million (about $1.53 million) was reportedly withdrawn in cash as illicit income.

The winnings figure represents approximately 83.9% of the reported KZT3.1 billion turnover. This is a comparison of the disclosed transaction totals, not a verified casino return-to-player rate.

There is also a gap in the published accounting. Subtracting the reported winnings from turnover leaves KZT500 million (about $1.11 million), below the separate KZT685.7 million cash-out figure. AFM has not provided a transaction breakdown explaining how those amounts relate.

At the National Bank of Kazakhstan’s October 9 rate of KZT448.94 per dollar, the reported turnover is approximately $6.9 million.

Four Cars and Two Land Plots Confiscated, Verdict Not Yet Final

AFM identified four vehicles: BYD Destroyer, LiXiang L6 Max, Chevrolet Monza and SsangYong Rexton. Two land plots were also confiscated.

The July inventory had included a fifth car, a Changan X5 Plus, and a house. Neither appears in the October announcement. AFM has not explained the shorter list.

The court ordered the confiscation, although its judgment has not yet entered into legal force.