Gambling activities in Kyrgyzstan were legalized in June 2022 after a ten-year moratorium. The government had high hopes for this step, expecting that casinos would bring in 3 to 6 billion soms annually to the budget, becoming a significant source of revenue.

However, the reality turned out to be far from expectations. In the first year after legalization, in 2023, the budget received only about 100 million soms from the gambling industry. Despite some growth in 2024, at the end of 11 months, revenues amounted to 271.2 million soms - almost three times more than a year earlier, but still well below projected volumes.

Most of this money, 258.3 million KGS, was paid by casinos. The remaining amount was transferred to the budget by bookmaker offices, 11 million KGS, and 1.8 million KGS for slot machines. 

While revenue growth in 2024 shows a positive trend, it is clear that the gaming industry has not yet become a meaningful source of revenue for the state budget.