This story begins in October 2024, when Emin Agalarov — former son-in-law of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev — publicly shared his dream of opening a casino at the Sea Breeze entertainment complex in Baku.
Around the same time, Azerbaijani TV channels and online media began broadcasting a wave of reports highlighting the economic benefits that gambling brings to state budgets in other countries.
Is there a direct link between these reports and Emin Agalarov’s plans? And how could such an ambitious project go ahead in a country where casinos have been officially banned since 1998 by a decree signed by then-President Heydar Aliyev?
JAMnews and Mikroskop Media investigated the story.
The 1998 decision to shut down casinos, betting shops, and cash-prize games in Azerbaijan was justified by several reasons:
They harm the economy;
They facilitate money laundering;
They have a negative impact on the morals of the younger generation.
Nevertheless, Emin Agalarov clearly believes he can open a casino. His confidence may stem from a recent precedent in which the law was amended to support another Sea Breeze project.
That project was the Caspian Dream Liner — an artificial peninsula built in the Caspian Sea.
To make that project possible, parliament passed a special law allowing Agalarov to officially register residential buildings designed in the shape of a cruise ship.
However, in 2024, the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Agalarov had begun construction of the artificial island a year before the law was adopted.
Now, Emin Agalarov is already posting updates and videos about the casino project on social media. Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov appears in some of the footage, while the media is flooded with headlines such as: “Casinos — a forgotten source of income for Azerbaijan’s economy” and “Why shouldn’t Baku become the Las Vegas of the Caucasus?”
Nearly all publications stress the same point: Azerbaijani citizens travel abroad to gamble, leading to a financial outflow from the domestic market.
Not the first case of media promotion campaign: taxi story and Pasha Holding
This is not the first time local TV channels have laid the groundwork for a business venture linked to the presidential family. A similar media campaign unfolded when Pasha Holding was preparing to launch a new taxi service.
An investigation by Mikroskop Media in June 2023 revealed that after Pasha Holding announced plans to enter the taxi business, Azerbaijani TV channels began sharply criticising other existing taxi services in the country.
The media highlighted numerous shortcomings in their operations. Not long after, a new taxi service owned by Pasha Holding entered the market.
Now, since April 2025, Azerbaijani media have been actively debating the benefits of the gambling industry.
To legalise a casino, legislative changes would be required — including amendments to the criminal code and the code of administrative offences. No public discussion on this has taken place so far.
