Offside.kz: up to 60% of bookmaker traffic moved to the grey market
Offside.kz: after the suspension of payments for Kazakh bookmakers, up to 60% of active traffic may have moved to the grey market during the first week of March.
Offside.kz analysis of the betting market
Publication of the study
On March 11, the outlet Offside.kz published an analysis of the consequences of the March 4 suspension of deposit and withdrawal services by payment systems for bookmakers that are not integrated with the Unified Accounting System (ESU). The estimates are based on Google Trends data and public assessments of the market turnover.
Estimated market turnover
The calculations use an estimated annual betting market turnover of about ₸1.6 trillion (around $3.26 billion). Weekly turnover is estimated at roughly ₸30.7 billion.
Blocking of bookmaker payments
Situation on the morning of March 4
On March 4, users of the largest betting platforms began reporting the same issue: deposit and withdrawal transactions were no longer processed. Players were unable to add funds or withdraw their winnings.
Operators’ statements
1xBet reported technical work on its servers. Olimpbet stated that the issue was related to changes in legislation and a decision by the National Bank.
Regulator’s decision
The National Bank confirmed that starting March 4, second-tier banks and payment organizations disabled deposit and payout services for bookmakers not connected to the ESU. The measure is based on amendments to the Law “On Gambling Business” adopted on December 30, 2025.
Operators ready for integration
Fonbet and Winline
According to the author, only Fonbet and Winline handled the situation without major disruption. Both companies were prepared for integration thanks to their experience working with the Unified ЦУПИС system in the Russian market.
Other market participants
Other major operators faced simultaneous payment channel shutdowns. Olimpbet stated that it is still integrating with the ESU through partner Nomapay. 1xBet continued to attribute the situation to technical issues.
Rising interest in offshore platforms
Google Trends data
According to Google Trends data for March 4–10, interest in offshore iGaming platforms in Kazakhstan increased by about 2.5 times compared to the baseline level.
Players moving to alternative platforms
Players began looking for alternatives and moved to websites that accepted payments via cards, P2P transfers, and cryptocurrencies. In many cases, finding a new platform took around 10–15 minutes.
Traffic shift to the grey market
Estimated scale of migration
According to the author’s estimates, during the first week of March at least 60% of active traffic shifted to unlicensed platforms.
Budget losses
Direct tax losses for the state budget over seven days are estimated at about ₸2.3 billion (around $4.69 million). Average daily losses are estimated at roughly ₸327 million (about $666,000).
Payment channels used by offshore operators
Mobile operator accounts
According to the author, unlicensed iGaming platforms process deposits and withdrawals from Kazakh players through mobile accounts of operators Beeline, Altel, Kcell, Activ, and Tele2.
Accessibility of mobile payments
The subscriber base of these operators covers most of the adult population of Kazakhstan, which makes mobile phones a convenient payment tool for users.
Forecast of further losses
Budget risks
The author predicts that if instability in the payment infrastructure continues until the end of March, total budget losses could exceed ₸10 billion (around $20.4 million).