Uzbekistan Will Allow Gambling From Next Year – The Times Of Central Asia

From 1 January 2025, gambling, lotteries and betting activities will be legal in Uzbekistan.

The National Agency for Advanced Projects will control the legal entities that will manage gambling activities in the country. Those management companies will pay a tax on revenue at the rate of four percent for five years. Under the regulations, the age limit will be set for gambling participants at 18 years of age, and companies must have a license to provide betting services and gambling platforms.

Despite the current bans, the population actively participates in games of chance — using foreign and illegal services. That means that participants risk falling prey to scammers, losing huge sums of money in the process. Crimes and suicides among gamblers are not uncommon. According to preliminary estimates, the state budget will receive about $6 million per year.

Earlier, the Uzbekistan Football Association’s press secretary, Davron Faiziev, spoke about the advantages of legalizing betting activities: “By banning betting activities, we lose a lot. First of all, a large flow of funds goes to other countries. This is why the decision was made — to legalize all this, to control and ensure clean activity in the future.”

In Faiziev’s opinion, gaming and betting companies can improve the situation in the sports sector of the country’s economy, as according to foreign experience, many betting offices are active sponsors of sports teams.