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The Kyrgyzstan Sports Betting Scene

In this guide to online sports betting in Kyrgyzstan, first up is an overview of live sports betting within the country. Then the online industry is looked at along with tax implications for sports betting winnings. The accessibility of online bookmakers for Kyrgyzstan’s sports bettors is covered after that before final thoughts are given to the future of sports betting in this country.

Sports Betting Sites for Kyrgyzstan – March 2024

4.5/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 493 people this week
Get 100% Up To $500
Terms and conditions: The bonus code is only valid for a new customer's first deposit and must be redeemed immediately after the deposit and before a wager has been placed. The sum of the deposit and the bonus are subject to rollover requirements of 8x at min. odds of -200 (1.5) before a new bonus can be redeemed or a withdrawal can be made. Max. $1000 of each bet count towards the rollover requirements. Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
Master Card
Bank Transfer
Neteller
Paysafecard
Skrill
Bitcoin
+5

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • AUD
  • CAD
  • USD
  • Competitive sign-up and promotional offers
  • Excellent statistics section to aid customers
  • Pain-free deposit options
  • Accepts both high and low limit bettors
  • Lengthy and expensive withdrawal procedure
4.5/5
Rated by 267 users
Claimed by 424 people this week
125% up to $3,125
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

VISA
Master Card
Bitcoin
American Express
Moneygram
Ethereum
Litecoin

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • Premier destination for US bettors
  • Racebook covering daily races
  • Esports and virtual sports markets
  • In-depth sports stats and tips
  • Intuitive live betting markets
  • Limited withdrawal options
4.57/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 340 people this week
100% Up To $1000
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
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Payment Options

Bitcoin
BitcoinCash
Master Card
Person to Person
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • LTC
  • USD
  • Generous bonuses and promotions
  • Great range of betting markets
  • Extensive racebook
  • Very good customer service
  • Only a few withdrawal options
  • Fees for withdrawing funds
4.62/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 370 people this week
100% Up to $1000 + $25 casino chip
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
Show More Details Show Less Details

Payment Options

VISA
Master Card
Bitcoin

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • Trusted by publications such as ESPN
  • Access a dedicated racing section
  • Crypto-friendly sportsbook
  • Adjust odds format and time zone
  • Support options include call back
  • Quite low sportsbook limits
4.5/5
Rated by 413 users
Claimed by 286 people this week
50% Up To $1000
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
Show More Details Show Less Details

Payment Options

Bank Wire
Bitcoin
Cheque
Discover
Master Card
Neteller
Skrill
+1

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • USD
  • Accepts players from all over the world
  • Known for their live betting offers
  • Lots of secure banking options
  • Great bonuses and promotions
  • High fees for some deposit options
  • Support agents are often slow to reply
4.5/5
Rated by 313 users
Claimed by 192 people this week
50% Up to $250
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
Show More Details Show Less Details

Payment Options

Amex
Bitcoin
Master Card
Rapidtransfer
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BTC
  • Top-rated US online sportsbook
  • Mobile site for iOS and Android users
  • Diverse range of betting markets
  • Excellent customer support options
  • Lines come out very late in the day
  • Odds not as favorable as other books
4.5/5
Rated by 232 users
Claimed by 177 people this week
15% up to $600
Terms and conditions: Terms and Conditions apply. – Terms apply
Show More Details Show Less Details

Payment Options

Amex
Bank Wire
Bitcoin
Cheque
Master Card
Neteller
VISA

Average Payout Speed

0 – 24 Hours

Currencies

  • BPS
  • CAD
  • EUR
  • Popular book that accepts large max bets
  • Huge focus on football and basketball
  • High-spec live in-play platform available
  • Downloadable client for Windows & Mac
  • Odds are not amazing on non-US sports
  • User interface could be improved

Past Laws to Ban Gambling Failed Miserably

Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country which can be found in Central Asia. Formally part of China Kyrgyzstan was given over to the Russian Empire in the 1800s, which developed into the USSR in the early 20th century. When communism fell and the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 Kyrgyzstan gained independence. The country is currently one of the poorest in Central Asia with a third of the population living below the poverty line.

After independence Kyrgyzstan, saw a steady rise of casino and sports betting outlets throughout the country. This came to an end in 2012 after legislation passed to ban all forms of gambling until they were allowed to reopen in designated areas [1].

This was a move similar to the one Russia had made a few years previously, by removing all its casinos and betting outlets to 4 specific areas. One major criticism of the Kyrgyzstan law was while Russia already had their gambling areas decided upon, Kyrgyzstan’s gambling zones were yet to be determined, and later failed to get approval.

Due to poor enforcement and corruption this law failed spectacularly [2]. Not only did the number of casinos not decline, they more than doubled in the 12 months afterwards. A similar story was seen with many bookmakers, many of who remained open, basically running illegal gambling operations in broad daylight.

In March 2014 MPs promoted new proposals to legalize gambling once more. The argument was Kyrgyzstan’s economy is too weak to ignore the potential income from gambling revenues. While there have been much opposition to gambling within the country, it has been suggested that this new bill may succeed in getting support [3]

Pick and Choose Carefully if You Want to Bet Online

With sports betting still currently illegal in the country so too is online betting and there are no domestic operators, although there are many international sites happy to accept wagers from Kyrgyzstan.

With no blocks in force to prevent access to these sites which are run by companies in other jurisdictions, there are many choices for Kyrgyzstan’s sports bettors to choose from if they wish to wager online. Of course whether you do so or not, given the activity has been ruled illegal, is completely your own choice.

When choosing a site ensure you check the terms and conditions first as some unscrupulous operators have been known accept deposits only to later close accounts, claiming the individual was responsible for checking their local laws. It is wise therefore only to stick to proven companies, many of who operate large legitimate businesses, with listings on the world’s stock exchanges.

Companies licensed in the EU are particularly well known and popular choices. These are some of the oldest names in the industry and offer a large array of markets to bet on. Normally these are also the ones offering the better prices and most generous promotions, although ensure you check the terms for these too as they can vary widely.

Flag of Kyrgyzstan

No Taxes for Sports Bettors in Kyrgyzstan

With no legal betting in operation in Kyrgyzstan, there is no way to enforce taxation of winnings. As a result all winnings are your own to do with as you please.

You Can Access Foreign Bookmakers, But It Won’t Be in the Kyrgyz Language

You will be very lucky to find an international sports book offering the Kyrgyz language, instead you will have to find a site offering a language you are comfortable with, such as Russian, or rely on your web browsers translation.

The same applies for your currency options as wagering in KGS is not really an option, forcing you to have the site hold your balance in one of the world’s major currencies such as the US Dollar, Euro, Rouble or Yuan.

Deposits and withdraws can be made easily enough with credit cards like Visa and MasterCard, or a prepaid option like Entropay. Sometime you may struggle to withdraw via the same method, in which case your site will normally offer you a bank transfer or payment by check.

E-wallets such as Neteller and Skrill are not overly common in the region, although you can use WebMoney which works in a similar way. This allows you to deposit to an online purse which you can then use to make transactions to and from different sites.

Possibility of Legalising Gambling in the Future

As it was made clear very quickly that the ill thought out 2011 legislation has failed, politicians are now looking for ways to tidy up the mess created. Given the poor state of Kyrgyzstan’s economy many would argue it makes sense to legalize sports betting and other forms of gambling and let the state benefit from the tax revenues. Although there are strong anti-gambling voices in this country which may prevent this from happening.

With new bills currently being worked through it seems likely that legal gambling will once more take place in Kyrgyzstan, although when this will happen is still anyone’s guess. It is also likely that new legislation will include some kind of laws to govern online betting, which will likely involve limiting international sites. Given this has proved difficult in other countries with tighter systems, even if new legislation is passed it is likely not much will change for online sports betting in the near future.

References

[1] Kyrgyzstan Parliament Bans Gambling – BBC

[2] Kyrgyzstan Casino Ban Epic Fail – Calvin Ayre

[3] Legalizing Gambling to Save the Budget – Silk Road Reporters