Turkmenistan is one of the states that came from the falling apart of the Soviet Union. While it has a long history from being an offshoot of the Hunnish Empire in the 6th century, it’s never been much more than a backwater of history.
This has changed in recent years as the country’s huge gas reserves have been discovered and exploited. It is still, however, distressingly poor and according to Amnesty International has the third worst press freedoms in the world.
In common with much of the CIS, Turkmenistan’s casinos have been legalized. There was always underground gaming, but in the interests of regulating (and taxing), licences have been granted for the two casinos in the capital Ashgabat.
List of Turkmenistan’s casinos includes:
Ashgabat: Grand Casino – Ten game tables and 150 slot machines.
Ashgabat: Ak Altin Casino – Four game tables and 15 slot machines.
In common with all areas of the ex-Soviet Union, there will be other gambling games available, from the legal, such as betting on horse races, either official or unofficial, to the both illegal and highly dangerous, like underground casinos....