Turkey is intensifying its efforts to combat illegal betting, with Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi calling the underground market a national security threat. In a recent interview with Habertürk, Çiftçi underscored the vastness of this illegal activity, stating that the annual cost to Turkey is around $40 billion. He expressed concern over the impact of gambling on young people's futures, emphasizing the societal and moral dimensions of the issue. "According to our beliefs, gambling is haram [forbidden]," he remarked.
Çiftçi pointed out that this issue has evolved beyond mere public order concerns into a serious national security challenge. He referred to illegal betting as a "scourge that corrupts society," asserting, "You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyse and respond to this threat."
Turkey's National Lottery Administration and the Spor Toto Organisation, which oversees the sports betting entity İddaa, operate a legal online gambling monopoly. The country’s Law No. 7258 makes it a crime to operate or facilitate gambling activities without a license, often linking these offenses to money laundering and fraud and enhancing penalties for violators.
Çiftçi noted the role of cryptocurrency in augmenting the illegal betting landscape, citing the rapid growth of digital payments as a significant factor. He stated, "Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organised crime." He anticipates that the global gambling market will hit $205 billion by 2030.
To combat these problems, the Turkish government is enhancing inter-agency cooperation to track suspicious financial activities and dismantle illicit gambling networks. Çiftçi warned that illegal betting syndicates are exploiting legitimate financial systems and e-commerce tools.
"Criminal organisations are no longer robbing with knives or guns, but with algorithms and digital wallets, and we are responding in the same arena," he asserted.
The ministry's crackdown on the black market has seen the government block 548,420 illegal betting and gambling websites from 2006 to 2025, including 84,000 just last year. Additionally, in 2023 alone, authorities took offline 12,548 servers and connection addresses associated with unlawful gambling.
Utilizing AI-powered technology and technical monitoring systems, the Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Investigation Bureau has been able to detect various suspicious account activities. Legal action has also been initiated against influencers who promote illegal betting websites.
