Turkey's Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has labelled illegal betting a national security threat, estimating the black market costs the country $40bn annually. In an interview with Habertürk, he called gambling forbidden under Islam and underground betting 'a scourge that corrupts society'.
Turkey operates a state monopoly model: the National Lottery Administration controls online lotteries, while İddaa handles sports betting under Spor Toto Organisation. Law No. 7258 equates unlicensed gambling with money laundering and fraud, increasing penalties.
Authorities have blocked 548,420 sites between 2006 and 2025, including 84,000 in 2025 alone. Last year saw 12,548 servers shut down. The ministry deploys AI systems to flag suspicious transactions and accounts. Çiftçi said crime has shifted from knives and guns to algorithms and digital wallets — syndicates now use crypto, shell e-commerce sites and payment intermediaries. Prosecutions have been launched against influencers promoting illegal offers.
The minister tied black-market growth to digital payments and cryptocurrencies, which serve as laundering channels for international organised crime. 'We can no longer ignore a threat we do not see. Turkey has learned to recognise and respond to it,' Çiftçi said. He cited a forecast putting the global gambling market at $205bn by 2030.
