Since ancient times, gaming has been part of the Turkmenistani people. Horse-breeding was one of the most practised activities in traditional Turkmenistan. The first president of Turkmenistan,
Saparmurat Niyazov loved the Akhal-Teke horse breed and was obsessed with it. This breed has been highly valued for its beauty, stamina and speed. Horse racing was conducted in open fields where spectators would bet on their favorite horses to win.
In soviet times, gambling was conducted as a competition between classes. The winning class enjoyed the glory.
Gambling was also conducted as a way of fighting for independence. Games used in the education of communist youth. The games taught honesty, collectiveness and how to respect each other. Learners were also taught how to win or lose gracefully.
Turkmen used to play “Sunek-Sunek” (the dice) as a way of gambling. The Turkmenistan dice were simpler than the Western craps. Players would roll the dice, and the winner would take the prize. The game of dice is still played today and influences a lot of Turkmenistan gambling experiences.
Gambling nowadays in Turkmenistan
Gambling has now changed and taken deeper roots in Turkmenistan. Horse racing is conducted every Sunday, especially at Ashgabat hippodrome, to enjoy one of the most celebrated sports in the country.
Spectators walk in and go through leaflets containing information they’d use when gambling. Betting, though prohibited, is done openly.
Gambling in Turkmenistan extends to land-based casinos. The country doesn’t prohibit brick and mortar casinos from operating in the country.
When Turkmenistan gained independence in 1991, casino operators were issued licenses to provide gambling services. However, gambling has been somewhat slower due to economic hardships.
Players in Turkmenistan can only play at three land-based casinos available, the Ak-Altin Casino, the Florida Casino and the Grand Casino.
On the positive side, gambling enthusiasts can now access plenty of online casinos. Some of the most popular online casinos available to players in Turkmenistan include 22BET, 1xSlots, ScratchMania, BetTilt, Megapari, Locowin, Power Casino and Slots Magic.
International operators can only provide these online casinos since Turkmenistan doesn’t offer local licenses to online casino operators. Any legal online casinos provided by international operators can acquire licenses to operate in the country.
Future of online casinos in Turkmenistan
There have been complaints about the influx of online casinos and how they’ve been negatively impacting casino players. Being an Islamic dominated country, online casinos are likely to become restricted. Muslim prohibits gambling among its people due to its adverse impacts like addictions.
The country has been experiencing economic challenges since the Soviet Union’s time. As a result, online casino players have been disadvantaged when interested in playing online casino games.
The Turkmenistan government controls TurkmenTelekom, the only ISP in the country. They have complete control of the kind of content that Turkmen can access on the internet.
The low internet supply in the country has limited most gambling enthusiasts from accessing online casino games. However, with the introduction of personal internet connections in 2008, players can easily access online casinos.
Casino types
