Turkey Expands Illegal Betting Crackdown

MASAK is reportedly reviewing nearly 14 million pieces of user data as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intensifies the country’s crackdown on illegal gambling operations.

The investigation forms part of Turkey’s 2025–2026 Action Plan for Combating Illegal Betting and Virtual Gambling, a government initiative aimed at targeting both offshore betting operators and the payment systems used to access them.

According to local reports, more than three million Turkish identification numbers have already been linked to gambling-related activity. Authorities are also examining over 14,000 deposit accounts and 52,000 withdrawal accounts suspected of processing transactions connected to illegal betting networks.

The operation is being coordinated by MASAK, which has expanded monitoring of betting databases, consumer payment activity and digital transaction records linked to unauthorised gambling operators.

Earlier enforcement activity reportedly led to arrests across 35 provinces, with 108 individuals accused of assisting illegal betting organisations operating within Turkey.

The government has increasingly framed illegal gambling as an issue connected to organised crime, money laundering and financial risk. Earlier this year, Erdoğan publicly grouped illegal betting alongside gambling, alcohol and drugs as activities viewed as harmful to Turkish society.

Oversight of the enforcement programme is being managed by Akın Gürlek, with authorities introducing broader enforcement powers through judicial reforms and updates to the penal code. Prosecutors have reportedly been granted expanded authority to freeze bank accounts, seize assets and pursue criminal investigations linked to gambling-related financial activity.

Turkish media reports have also indicated that authorities may extend investigations beyond domestic activity by targeting operators and payment networks based in Georgia, Northern Cyprus, Armenia and North Macedonia, which officials believe are linked to Turkish-language betting platforms.

Despite previous measures including ISP restrictions, banking controls and arrests, authorities stated that illegal betting activity continues to move significant amounts of money through offshore systems each year, keeping the issue high on the government’s enforcement agenda.