Turkish authorities seized 17.75 billion lira ($365.8m) from accounts linked to 177 suspects in a coordinated operation against illegal betting networks across eight provinces. The Ministry of Interior reported that the suspects showed suspicious financial activity.
Raids took place in Adıyaman, Konya, Manisa, Muğla, Tekirdağ, Siirt, Muş and Çorum provinces. Cybercrime units, anti-smuggling teams, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and local prosecutors carried out the operation jointly. Suspects face charges of running unlicensed betting sites and laundering proceeds through the country's financial system. Cases were filed under Law No. 7258, which criminalises gambling without a licence; prosecutors often add money laundering and fraud counts.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi called illegal betting 'a plague rotting society'. He said the rise of digital payments and cryptocurrency turned betting into a money-laundering channel. 'Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrency and underground banking are critical parts of the laundering infrastructure feeding international organised crime,' he said. Çiftçi forecast the global gambling market will reach $205bn by 2030.
Turkish authorities blocked 548,420 betting and gambling sites between 2006 and 2025, including 84,000 in 2025 alone. Deputy Interior Minister Ali Çelik said tackling addiction would reduce illegal betting activity: 'If we eliminate this sector, we minimise the flow of money into the hands of criminal organisations.'
