Kazakhstan Uncovers Two Casino Payment Networks With Over KZT10.3B in Flows

According to the AFM’s October 14 statement, payment intermediaries set up networks of third-party bank accounts held by citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Foreign nationals arriving in Kazakhstan were issued individual identification numbers (IINs). SIM cards and bank accounts were then registered in their names.

First Network Used 89 Cards for KZT500M in Transactions

Phones with banking apps already logged in were passed to people managing the accounts. A P2P platform automatically identified incoming player payments and handled winnings payouts. The participants also used cryptocurrency to settle accounts among themselves, the agency said.

In Turkestan Region and Almaty, investigators detained three Uzbek nationals linked to 89 Kazakh bank cards. They seized 20 phones used to access the accounts. Transactions through those cards reached KZT500 million (about $1.1 million at the National Bank’s October 15 exchange rate of KZT450.62 per dollar).

180 Cards Seized in a Second Network

The other investigation involved a network operating in Taraz and Almaty, with enforcement activity reported in Zhambyl Region. Its organisers recruited people from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, including minors, to make bank accounts available for the payment operation.

Searches produced 180 bank cards, 15 phones used for account access and 26 SIM cards. Officers also seized $50,000 in cash, 27,000 USDT, four vehicles, weapons and ammunition.

The AFM put incoming transfers to the group’s cards at more than KZT9.8 billion (about $21.7 million). A court authorised the detention of five suspects. The agency did not give a case-by-case breakdown of those five custody orders. Both investigations are continuing.

KZT10.3B Is Not a Casino Revenue Figure

Adding the amounts disclosed for the two networks gives more than KZT10.3 billion. But the KZT500 million attributed to the first group covers card transactions, while the KZT9.8 billion in the second case counts incoming transfers. Neither figure was identified as gross gaming revenue, and the AFM did not name the casinos involved.

The card numbers also describe different things: 89 cards were used in the first case, while 180 cards were seized in the second. They cannot automatically be treated as 269 active payment cards.

The agency did not specify the periods covered by the transaction figures. They cannot be used to calculate monthly or annual payment volumes.

New Bank Checks Begin on October 16

The announcement came two days before changes to Kazakhstan’s bank transaction-screening rules take effect on October 16. As 15M reported on October 13, the requirements address suspicious accounts and device-sharing patterns alongside gambling-related transfers.

The AFM did not link either investigation to the amendments. Both cases, however, show how bank accounts registered to one person can be used by intermediaries to process online casino payments.