Uzbekistan

Almost 20 years after the ban, the legal online gambling market in Uzbekistan officially launched on January 1, 2025.

The main reason for the legalization of betting and gambling on the Internet was the growth of ludomania and fraud among the population, as well as the outflow of financial resources abroad. According to expert estimates, from $350 million to $1 billion flows out of the country every year.

In addition, according to the report of the Consumer Protection Agency for 2021, state agencies conducted 27 thousand investigations related to illegal activities of offline bookmakers and betting platforms.

According to official data, within 5 years the government of Uzbekistan plans to study the peculiarities of operators' work, as well as to consider the possibility of introducing more effective taxation mechanisms, taking into account profitability and exercising effective control.

Population

The population of the country is more than 36 million. 50.5% of the inhabitants are urban dwellers.

National Composition: Uzbeks - 83.8%, Tajiks - 4.8%, Russians - 2.3%, Kazakhs - 2.5%, others (Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz, Koreans, Tatars, Turkmens) - 6.6%.

Average age - 29 years. The average life expectancy is 73 years.

Age distribution:  

•  0-4 years: 8.1%
•  5-12 years: 14.3%
• 13-17 years old: 8.5%.
• 18-24 years old: 10.2%
• 25-34 years old: 16.7%
• 35-44 years: 14.9%.
• 45-54 years: 12.4%
• 55-64 years: 8.8%
• 65+ years: 6,1%

- Men: 50.1%

- Women: 49.9%

Education and languages

• Literacy level: 99%
• State language: Uzbek (native language for 74% population)
• Russian language: about 14% citizens are fluent and about 50% residents understand Russian speech, as the jurisdiction was part of the USSR for 67 years
• English language: about 11% Uzbeks know the language well (mostly young people)

Religion: Muslims - 96%, Orthodox - 2%, others (Catholics, Jews, atheists) - 2%.

Major cities: Tashkent (capital), Samarkand, Namangan, Andijan, Bukhara.

Currency: Uzbek soum (UZS). 100 USD = 1,293,293 UZS

Financial capacity

Last year, the poverty rate among residents dropped from 11% to 8.9%.

The greatest reduction in socio-economic vulnerability was observed in Bukhara Province (from 11.8% to 8.7%), Samarkand Province (from 10.5% to 7.5%), Namangan Province (from 10.4% to 7.6%) and the Republic of Karakalpakstan (from 13.6% to 10.8%).

The structure of personal income for last year:

• wages - 42.6% (in 2023 - 41.9%)
• business income - 22.9% (21.4%)
• pensions, social benefits and subsidies - 18.2% (18.9%)
• income from agriculture and horticulture - 10.7% (9.8%)
• transfers from abroad - 2% (3.1%)
• other income - 3.6% (4.9%)

The unemployment rate for the past (2024) year:

• Total - 3.6% (in 2023 - 4.9%)
• among the youth, 10.3%.
• among women - 10.3%
• for men - 8.5%

Average salary - from $350. Minimum wage - from $90.

As a rule, on the 15th of each month an advance payment is given, and by the 5th of the following month - a monthly salary.

mentality

Uzbek culture, like Chinese, Japanese and Kazakh culture, is categorized as collectivist type.

Mahalla is a key social institution in the country. It is an urban neighborhood with a system of local self-government, where residents jointly solve problems. Unlike other Muslim countries, in Uzbekistan the status of makhalla is enshrined in legislation.

Public opinion is extremely important for Uzbeks. The population tends to demonstrate their prosperity and achievements in order to form a positive image among others.

It is not customary to show aggression in the country. This trait of the national character has developed historically: Uzbeks have traditionally been engaged in trade, which implies an exceptionally benevolent attitude towards the customer.

There is a clear hierarchy of family relationships: children are brought up in strictness, the woman is largely subordinate to her husband and mother-in-law, and the man always has the last word.

The family occupies a central place in the lives of citizens, being the basis of their social structure. Often several generations live together, and family values have a higher significance than individual values.

Large purchases are discussed collectively. In addition, advertising with the older generation is more trustworthy.

Traditional holidays (Nowruz, Ramadan Khait and Kurban Khait) are periods of active spending, so promotions, raffles, cross-marketing demonstrate high efficiency. Marketing emphasizing benefits for family and status is especially relevant.

Residents value personal recommendations and word of mouth, for this reason advertising with testimonials or local influencers works better than direct promotion.

Most Uzbeks observe traditions, such as fasting during Ramadan, but in everyday life religiosity is moderate.

Status of gambling

Online casinos and online betting are allowed in the state. The regulatory body is the National Agency for Advanced Projects (NAPP), which controls both gambling and the stock market, insurance organizations and the activities of the Central Securities Depository.

The functions of monitoring the compliance of game organizers with legislative acts are carried out jointly with the Department for Combating Economic Crimes.

Chronology of the formation of the legal gambling industry

• On September 1, 2007, gambling and other risk-based games were prohibited and liability for organizing such activities was provided for
• On December 5, 2019, the president of Uzbekistan signed a decree «On measures to raise the development of soccer in Uzbekistan to a completely new stage». As a result, offline betting shops were legalized on January 1, 2021
• On April 6, 2022, the head of the country signed a decree abolishing the legalization of gambling establishments
• On April 19, 2024 was signed a document legalizing gambling and lotteries on the Internet from January 1, 2025
• The jurisdiction officially launched a legal online casino and online sports betting market in early 2025

Requirements for operators to obtain a 5-year license

1. Residents of Uzbekistan may organize activities using servers and domain names registered in the territory of the country
2. Companies are required to have authorized capital of at least 56.25 billion soums ($4.4 million) and a reserve fund of 28.125 billion soums ($2.2 million)
3. The license fee amounts to 187.5 million soums (about $15 thousand), for making changes to the license - 93.75 million soums ($7.3 thousand)
4. Tax for operators is 4% less winnings paid and bets returned

Betting on local events or youth sports, with the exception of international competitions, is prohibited.

Rules concerning players

1. Players may only be over 18 years of age
2. Users are exempt from paying taxes on winnings

Restrictions and regulations for legal gambling and betting advertising

1. Advertising is only allowed for licensed businesses and must be targeted to citizens 18 years of age or older
2. Companies are prohibited from using images and messages that may appeal to minors and from promoting their services online
3. Ads are required to exclude information promoting gambling as a means of solving financial problems
4. It is unacceptable to use celebrities or people of public trust in advertising
5. Gambling advertisements are prohibited near schools, educational institutions and other places where minors may be present, as well as in the media

Attitudes of the population

In 2024, before the legalization of the industry in the country, a survey was conducted among 1,000 respondents on the legalization of gambling in Uzbekistan

Results of the analysis:

• 52,9% citizens supported or were neutral towards legalization of online gambling and betting
• 48,2% - never participated in the gambling sector
• 46.2% - participated in state lotteries and other forms of gambling

9% Uzbeks stated that they will definitely gamble after legalization, 11.9% - are more inclined to participate in gambling, 15.3% - find it difficult to answer, 15% - do not intend to gamble on gambling and betting platforms.

It was also revealed that 56% internet users react positively to gambling advertisements in case of interesting offers, despite its illegal nature.

Recent developments in the gambling industry

Processing fees

In early May, the authorities announced an initiative aimed at tightening control over P2P transfers. The document has already passed its first reading.

The Act provides for the introduction of automatic tracking of three or more consecutive transfers between individuals. It is planned to introduce biometrics for transfers of large sums.

In addition, starting from July 2025, passport data may be required for transactions exceeding $880. Enhanced verification is expected for amounts over $14 thousand.

Annual limits are also being discussed: tentatively about $7,800 for citizens and about $39,000 for entrepreneurs.

Fighting illegal betting advertising on the Internet

According to the Competition Committee, there has been a rapid increase in online advertising of betting services, especially on Telegram, where messages are posted anonymously, making it difficult to identify the distributors.

For this reason, in mid-April of this year, a large-scale campaign was launched in Uzbekistan to combat illegal online advertising of bookmakers with the support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

«In order to take appropriate measures and identify those responsible for maintaining information resources that advertise gambling, the available materials are sent to the Cyber Security Center (MIA),» the state body commented.

iGaming market size

• Shadow sector: According to the National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP), between $300 million and $1 billion is annually withdrawn from Uzbekistan due to illegal operators.
• Legal sector: According to the authorities' forecasts, the gambling industry should bring $6 million of additional tax revenues to the budget annually

Internet availability

At the beginning of 2025, there were 33.9 million internet users in the country and internet penetration was 92.2%.

Average speed of wireless Internet connection via Wi-Fi - 83.61 Mbps. Average speed of mobile Internet connection - 53.33 Mbps.

Volume of device usage:

▪️мобайл: 81.2%

▪️десктоп: 9.8%

▪️планшет: 9%

Payment Systems: Visa, MasterCard, Payme, Click, Humo, Uzcard, Apelsin (Uzum Bank).

Popular Web Applications: Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok.

▪️Telegram - over 20 million

▪️Instagram - 9.4 million

▪️YouTube - 7.5 million

▪️Facebook - 2.4 million

▪️TikTok - 3.12 mln (officially blocked, but actively used via VPN)

In 2024, Telegram, Facebook and TikTok published the most content in Uzbek.

TikTok remains the only service, access to which is officially restricted in Uzbekistan due to personal data protection issues. However, users continue to actively use VPNs to circumvent the blockages.

By the way, in 2021, access to Telegram, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram was restricted for Uzbeks. As a result, the head of Uzkomnazorat, Ziyaev Golibsher, and the Minister of Information Technology Development and Communication, Shukhrat Sadikov, were suspended.

Player portrait

Residents between the ages of 20 and 35 prioritize participation in gambling to make a quick buck.

The country's market is characterized by the dominance of men among users of gambling and betting platforms, which is due to gender stereotypes.

Preferences  

1. Betting on sports is the most popular form of gambling. Top disciplines: soccer, boxing, tennis, athletics, wrestling, judo
2. There is a growing interest in cyber sports in the country. Among the leading games are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2 and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)
3. Roulette, classic fruit slots, as well as slots with oriental motifs are in demand at online casinos
4. When it comes to card games, residents prefer poker and bridge
5. Kupkari horse racing, a traditional sport, is very popular in the country. Other popular equestrian competitions include ogdarysh (horsemanship), isindi (dart fight), sultonlar jangi (saber fight), kabahi (archery), nizaki netum (javelin throwing) and equestrian basketball

Recommendations for creatives

Avoid aggressive marketing and overly dynamic videos with abrupt transitions.

Classic creatives with demonstration of winning and emotions, images of girls combined with enticing figures, as well as plots of famous Uzbek TV shows work effectively.

We recommend integrating elements of folk gambling into creatives, such as ashichki (Uzbek dice game), which will evoke nostalgia and trust in the local audience.

Intuitive interface (including easy registration) for Uzbeks plays one of the key roles in choosing a gambling platform.

To attract the attention of residents, indicate the minimum deposit amount - this will emphasize the accessibility of the game for the majority of users.

The Russian-speaking audience of the jurisdiction is more aware of the Runet and the Western segment of the Internet, and is interested in foreign news. Conversion into leads is quite a difficult task for this category, but the uprule rate for such users is higher.

Popular personalities

Athletes (especially respected in the country): Mahmud Muradov, Abdumalik Khalokov, Bakhodir Jalolov, Ruslan Nurudinov, Abdukodir Khusanov, Odil Akhmedov, Eldor Shomurudov, Jaloliddin Masharipov, Omer Yurtseven и Nodirbek Abdusatorov.

Media personalities: Sariq Bola, Ozodbek Khurramov, Nazarov Yakhshi bola, Zarina Nizomutdinova, Zhakhongir Paziljonov, Sitora Farmonova, Azamat Ahrorov, Nilufar Usmonova и Oybek Teshaboyev.

Popular media

Kun.Uz, Lex.uz, Uza.Uz, Daryo.Uz, Xabar.Uz, Gazeta.Uz, Yuz.Uz.

Source: The Gambler