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Submitted by Shameka Grey
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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. It is very strongly advised that foreigners do not get involved in these alternatives to Turkmenistan's casinos. The first and most obvious reason is that they will be extremely dangerous.
The economy of Turkenistan is hugely buoyed by the natural gas industry. However, there isn't much else to talk about that makes any wealth. Business life therefore centers around how to get a cut of that gas wealth: it does not help that the country is run by President Niyazov who has declared himself both President for Life and "Turkmenbashi," that is, Leader of the Turkmen. This has been followed by his insistence (and laws to the effect) that days of the week are to be named after members of his family, that the Rukhana, his self-penned book of wisdom, be the primary text in all schools, or that some of the cities are dominated by gold-plated statues of him. It might be fair to state that he is not the most democratic (nor sane) of people running a country today.
If Turkmenistan's casinos are anything like those in other corrupt parts of the CIS, they will feature a few bored Westerners playing aimlessly to while away their expatriate contracts, a large number of prostitutes, and further numbers of Mafiosi and government officals (often indistinguishable) flaunting their new and illegally found wealth. The illegal alternatives to Turkmenistan's casinos will be, if anything, worse.
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