Turkish authorities have stepped up their campaign against illegal online betting, opening proceedings against 177 suspects whose accounts were linked to TRY17.75 billion ($365.8 million) in financial transactions.
The investigation led to coordinated operations across Adıyaman, Çorum, Konya, Manisa, Muğla, Muş, Siirt and Tekirdağ. Cybercrime and anti-smuggling teams worked alongside the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), provincial gendarmerie units and local prosecutors.
Authorities allege that those targeted operated or supported illegal betting websites, facilitated related money transfers and used Türkiye’s financial infrastructure to circulate proceeds generated by unauthorised gambling.
The TRY17.75 billion figure represents financial activity identified in accounts connected with the suspects rather than the value of assets confirmed as confiscated. Investigators also seized digital materials during the raids, according to reports on the operation.
Enforcement activity accelerates in 2026
The latest investigation forms part of a broader expansion of enforcement against illegal betting in Türkiye this year.
Deputy Interior Minister Ali Çelik said at a government panel on 10 September that authorities had dismantled almost 40 illegal betting organisations during the first eight months of 2026. Financial transactions associated with those groups totalled close to TRY60 billion.
Çelik said more than 800 operations had been carried out during that period, compared with an annual average of around 250 over the previous five years.
A separate operation announced by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek earlier in September illustrates the scale of authorities’ focus on online betting payment networks.
Ahead of the Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş football match, investigators identified 345 illegal betting websites, 110 payment methods and 1,200 bank accounts. Authorities also secured orders blocking access to approximately 98,000 websites linked to illegal betting and seized 1,200 accounts belonging to 1,048 individuals and legal entities suspected of involvement in betting activity or laundering criminal proceeds.
Investigations in that case were launched under Law No. 7258, which regulates betting and games of chance connected with sporting events, alongside legislation covering the laundering of criminal assets.
Government links enforcement with addiction prevention
Türkiye is also increasingly presenting illegal gambling as both a financial-crime issue and a behavioural addiction problem.
At the Directorate of Communications’ “Say No to Addiction! Combating Illegal Betting and Gambling Addiction” panel, government officials, regulators, MASAK representatives and the Turkish Green Crescent Society argued that enforcement against operators must be accompanied by measures aimed at reducing demand.
Çelik described supply and demand as interconnected parts of the same problem, warning that criminal organisations can continue to benefit financially as long as a market for illegal gambling remains.
Turkish Green Crescent Society president Mehmet Dinç similarly argued that blocking gambling sites alone cannot eliminate the problem. He described an ecosystem stretching from advertising, social media and influencers to mobile applications, payment services, borrowing, gambling losses and repeated betting.
The panel also focused heavily on younger users. MASAK chairman Hasan Kaymak said criminal groups can exploit financial difficulties among young people by offering money or expensive products in return for becoming involved in their operations.
Radio and Television Supreme Council president Mehmet Daniş added that authorities were paying particular attention to the visibility of illegal betting through digital media, advertising and sponsorship, while calling for greater media literacy among younger audiences.
The latest eight-province investigation therefore sits within a broader Turkish strategy combining financial surveillance, website restrictions, criminal investigations and addiction-prevention measures as authorities seek to disrupt both the operators and financial infrastructure supporting illegal betting.