Türkiye’s Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Simsek, announced that authorities blocked transactions worth ₺664 million ($19.2M) linked to illegal betting activities in 2023.

Record seizures amid ongoing anti-gambling measures

Speaking before the Turkish Parliament’s Planning and Budget Comission, Simsek outlined the government’s achievements in curbing illegal betting operations.

The 664 million Turkish lira figure also marks a significant step in Türkiye’s campaign to disrupt criminal networks involved in unregulated gambling.

“We will continue our fight against illegal betting and gambling to prevent money laundering,” Simsek said.

Türkiye’s illegal online gambling problem

Türkiye is grappling with a disturbing trend as the age of illegal online gambling participants has dropped to as young as nine years old, according to data from official NGO’s.

The rise in online gambling addiction, particularly among the youth, has caught the attention of the Turkish Parliament, with new measures being considered to curb illegal gambling and online betting activities such as arresting people who are advertising these illegal gambling platforms and more.

Recently Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into allegations of promoting illegal betting on social media by famous Turkish artists.

Authorities have identified 20 suspects, including several social media influencers and celebrities. Law enforcement teams raided the suspects’ addresses, detaining 20 individuals, including prominent figures like Serdar Ortac and Mehmet Ali Erbil.

Illegal gambling in Türkiye is fueling terrorist organizations, destroying families, and pushing young people toward suicide.

Halil Ozturk, a member of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has sounded the alarm on illegal gambling in Türkiye, revealing that approximately 10 million people are now addicted, with an estimated $10 billion leaving the country annually.

Many young people caught in this cycle face despair, with some tragically taking their own lives. Ozturk is calling for immediate action and stricter penalties.

What does ‘illegal betting’ mean in Türkiye?

Betting and games of chance are often linked to illegal activities, such as money laundering, tax evasion and the financing of organized crime and terrorist organizations. For this reason, many countries have introduced legal regulations to restrict betting and gambling activities, imposing severe penalties for violations.

In Türkiye, betting is subject to strict regulations, with only licensed companies permitted to organize betting and games of chance determined under Law No. 7258. Legal betting refers to activities that are conducted under government-issued licenses under the law, ensuring compliance with financial, operational and ethical standards.

Any betting activity that operates outside the scope of Turkish gambling laws, even if licensed elsewhere, is considered illegal within Turkish jurisdiction.

Under Article 5 of Law No. 7258, the following penalties apply to illegal betting activities in Türkiye:

• Individuals who facilitate or organize illegal betting or gambling, including providing venues or opportunities for such activities, can face imprisonment ranging from three to five years, along with daily judicial fines of up to 10,000 consecutive days.
• Those who enable participation in betting or gambling activities organized abroad by providing access via the internet or other means in Türkiye can be sentenced to four to six years in prison.
• Individuals involved in facilitating the transfer of money for illegal betting or gambling can face imprisonment of three to five years, as well as daily judicial fines of up to 5,000 consecutive days.
• Those who encourage others to participate in illegal betting or gambling can be sentenced to one to three years in prison, along with daily judicial fines of up to 3,000 consecutive days.

Thousands of websites banned, but still accessible

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, between September 2023 and August 2024, 2,880 operations were conducted against illegal bookmakers, resulting in:

• Out of the total 9,535 detained individuals, 4,381 suspects have been jailed
• ₺7.5 billion ($218.8 million) confiscated
• Access to 67,493 illegal betting websites has been restricted

The National Lottery Administration (MPI) identifies websites hosting unauthorized gambling and betting activities online, reporting them to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). Last year, 168,030 sites were flagged, while from January to September this year, 183,260 sites were identified and reported for access restrictions.

An average of 20,000 sites per month have been subjected to preventative measures this year. Of the sites blocked in the first nine months, 98,000 were based in the U.S., 32,000 originated from Armenia, and 12,000 from the Netherlands.

Since the strengthening of legislation on illegal gambling in 2006, a total of 422,594 sites have been reported, with access restrictions imposed on 393,013 of them.