Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency has ordered mobile network operators to block suspicious payments linked to illegal online casinos that let users deposit funds through their mobile phone balances. The agency conducted tests on 10 online casino websites, which revealed that the platforms allowed players to make deposits via mobile balances from the country’s biggest mobile
Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency has ordered mobile network operators to block suspicious payments linked to illegal online casinos that let users deposit funds through their mobile phone balances.
The agency conducted tests on 10 online casino websites, which revealed that the platforms allowed players to make deposits via mobile balances from the country’s biggest mobile operators, like Tele2, Beeline, Kcell, and Activ. Representatives from the operators were called to a meeting where they were shown how the illegal payments were being processed through their networks.
As a result, the mobile operators were urged to strengthen monitoring and introduce new tools for identifying and stopping suspicious transactions.
The regulators have stated that the goal of the measure is to reduce exposure to illegal gambling platforms and ban access to unlicensed operators, and as monitoring continues, the agency plans to implement additional enforcement action in the future.
Additionally, the country is moving to strengthen rules on the promotion of illegal gambling with an initiative to add criminal penalties for influencers advertising online casinos, while from May 17, casino entry rules will also be limited, as access to slot machine halls and betting venues in multiple regions will only be allowed to foreigners.