Firstly, this is a guide to online sports betting in Tajikistan. The first section provides an overview of the country’s live betting industry. It then looks at the online industry and potential taxes on gambling winnings. Finally, it concludes by discussing whether or not there are any accessible online sites for Tajikistan sports bettors and providing some final thoughts regarding the future of sports betting in this nation.
Being populated by eight million people, Tajikistan is a country lying in the mountains of Central Asia. Over time, it was conquered by various empires before being taken over by Russia during the 19th century and becoming a part of Soviet Union in early 20th century.
A civil war broke out in the country following the collapse of communism and independence, which lasted until 1997. Tajikistan claims to be a democracy but its election process and ruling party have come under fire for not meeting global democratic standards as required.
The poverty-stricken nation of Tajikistan, which is one of the ex-Soviet countries and also post-civil war trauma is a place that has not much been spending on development gambling structures. However, by 2000s, sports betting and casinos had developed as the country began to recover. In 2009 all casinos were declared illegal and therefore closed down while other gambling like sports’ betting remained legal [1].
During this time, however, the countrymen were not getting richer because online sports betting industry has come to exist. In fact, many land based bookmakers have allowed wagers as low as 1 TJS and yet it is not something that big foreign bookmaker companies are considering since they have preferred to provide their services as the online operators than managing the physical ones.
It is not illegal to gamble online in Tajikistan, although scarcity of internet access limits people. Technology has improved this situation, thanks to the widespread use and reduced prices of mobile devices.
The gambling enthusiasts in Tajikistan have a large number of worldwide betting firms to choose from, which allow them to benefit from the most competitive odds and bonuses.
If you decide to use any of these sites, be sure that you are familiar with the terms and conditions, especially if you are funding your account in order to receive a bonus. They can also vary hugely, so know what you deserve. Besides, it is better to go for a highly reputable site with good standing in the industry. There are few rogue players although they normally do not stay long in business; therefore, it is good to stick only with established companies having even listings on key stock exchanges.
Since all gambling websites that accept Tajikistan players are licensed and regulated overseas, there is no regulatory framework in place to impose a tax on your winnings. This means you have unlimited freedom to use the money as you please, after withdrawing it.
There is no such online bookmaker which has a website in Tajik language and where you can bet in TJS, hence you might need to make some adjustments. Some websites offer Russian language or alternatively you can always translate them yourself using any other language that you know or through your browser.
Once you have access to a bank account or credit card, depositing is no trouble. Both deposits require Visa as well MasterCard; however, with the latter, you may need an alternative method of withdrawing money such as bank transfer.
In this area, there are few e-wallets that you can use, but some sites allow you to make deposits into an online purse through WebMoney, which afterwards can be used for funding and withdrawing operations between several accounts. There are also other prepaid choices such as Entropay.
1 There have been calls to put casinos back on the legal map in Tajikistan with a possibility of a new gambling bill coming in some time. 2 Whether religious objections will impede this or not is unclear, but it will definitely provide tax assistance to an economy that is currently facing hardships.
The current state of affairs will most likely remain until a new bill does pass, and as technology improves things will become easier for sports betting on the internet with foreign companies.
[1] The Casinos in Tajikistan are reaching the end of their time – Central Asia Online
