It’s been more than a year since the legalization of gambling and online betting in Uzbekistan, and yet, the country hasn’t issued a single license to bookmakers. This is what Askarjon Zakirov, a representative of the National Agency for Advanced Projects, stated at a recent press briefing.
He said that despite the strong business-side eagerness as evidenced by the fact that companies are actively studying the market and checking the regulatory aspects, none have so far taken the bold step of submitting formal applications. Most of the operators are simply not ready yet to meet all the criteria and thus, they will require some more time to complete their preparations.
Besides operators being deterred by the tough standards and stringent conditions imposed by the government for carrying out their business, there is also the issue of raised capital, ongoing availability of reserves, the technicalities and mechanisms to be followed for player’s identity verification, and the requirement of connection to the Unified State Register of Betting and Players, among others.
Authorities have been working on new features to not only protect users but also to reduce the chance of the market being subject to unfair practices.
Most importantly, the key platforms have technically been developed to a great extent. For instance, the Unified State Register of betting and players in the country has been created and is close to being fully operational.
Previously, gambling and online betting in Uzbekistan were legalized with effect from January 1, 2025. Subsequently, licensing and regulating businesses guidelines were introduced. Each license is valid for a period of 5 years and carries a fee of 500 basic units or 206 million soums which is roughly 1.5 million rubles. This is the standard fee for all fresh license applicants.
