Gambling Laws in Tajikistan

Various forms of gambling in Tajikistan are considered to be legal and regulated with the civil laws of the country. The core of the Tajiki gambling legislation is composed of the law of Republic of Tajikistan "On licensing certain types of activities " (“Дар бораи иҷозатномадиҳӣ ба баъзе намудҳои фаъолият”), from 2004 and amended lastly in 2009 which allowed for the legal organization of totalizator and sports betting games as well as lotto games. Online versions of the betting games are also considered to be legal in the country. Other important legal gambling acts in Tajikistan include three amendments of this law: one regarding the conduct of lotteries in the Republic of Tajikistan as expressed in the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 274 of July 3, 2002; then the amendment for issuing certificates to the subjects who organize lottery activities as expressed in the Order of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 36 from May 16, 2003; and lastly, the regulations "On the Procedure for Licensing in the field of organization of gambling games, entertainment, and computer games, gaming machines (except organization and conduct of cash lotteries and casinos)”, approved by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan from June 14, 2002. The main body responsible for the regulation of the legal gambling games in the country is the Ministry of Finance, although certain supervisory power is also delegated to the Ministry of Culture. According to Tajiki gambling laws, minors, under 18 years of age cannot take part in gambling activities.

Is online gambling legal in Tajikistan? Only online sports betting games are legal in Tajikistan. Online casino, poker, lotto and bingo games are not regulated in the country.

Online Casinos in Tajikistan

As of May 2018, there are no online casinos in Tajikistan. Casinos in the country are in general prohibited, and consequently there are no specialized Tajiki internet casino sites either. Foreign licensed operators, however, are actively blocked from accessing the Tajiki market.

Online Poker in Tajikistan

Poker in Tajikistan is not legal, as of May 2018. Although there are no specific Tajiki online poker laws, the general prohibition on poker and other card games played for money in the country, holds for the online version of this game too. Foreign internet poker sites in Tajikistan are actively being blocked from accessing the Tajiki market.

Online lottery in Tajikistan

The Ministry of Finance runs and regulates the Tajik land-based lotto games, which are the only lotto games legal in Tajikistan. However, they have not introduced so far any form of online lottery in Tajikistan. Foreign sites offering online lotto games are actively being blocked from accessing the Thai market.

Online bingo in Tajikistan

There are no specific Tajiki online bingo laws. Therefore, the general regulations regarding most of the gambling games in Tajikistan apply and online bingo is considered to be illegal in the country. Consequently, as of May 2018, there are no specialized sites for online bingo in Tajikistan. Bingo rooms, licensed elsewhere, are actively being blocked from accessing the Tajiki market.

Online sports betting in Tajikistan

Online sportsbook sites in Tajikistan are legal and highly popular. As of May 2018, there are three online sportsbooks operating the sports betting market in Tajikistan, the most widely visited of which is formula55.tj (Формула Успеха). The other two include balbet.ru (БалтБет) and the realtennisi.tj (Тенниси). The first company in the country offering totalizator games, the Loto Sport, does not offer as of today online betting possibilities. Foreign internet sportsbook sites are actively blocked by the respective Tajiki authorities.

Online daily fantasy sports in Tajikistan

Online DFS sites in Tajikistan do not have a legally regulated status. Having in mind the legality of sports betting, it is very probable that internet Daily Fantasy Sports would soon receive a positive legal status in this country.