Istanbul prosecutors are advancing with a case involving eight individuals accused of manipulating live betting systems, leading to reported losses of TL12 million ($241,144) for licensed bookmakers. At the center of the inquiry is OB, a data analyst with Spordata, a firm that provides sports data and operational support to legal betting operators in Turkey.
Prosecutors allege that OB took advantage of his position by intentionally delaying the transmission of live odds by about seven seconds during various sports events, including tennis and volleyball matches. This timing allowed him and associates with betting accounts to place informed wagers, ensuring they had an unfair edge by knowing the actual scores in advance.
The disruption in data transmission allegedly caused financial harm not only to the affected betting operators but also to Spordata itself due to the services it provides. The prosecutors have evaluated the total losses from this operation to be around TL12 million.
Messages recovered during the investigation, which include WhatsApp communications like "We will make good money" and "I am managing the system right now," contradict OB's claims to investigators that he had no knowledge of the system or any message exchanges. Following these developments, OB was taken into custody in July 2023.
As the investigation progressed, Turkey’s financial crimes unit began examining OB’s financial activities and found substantial transactions associated with his accounts, totaling approximately TL192 million. This scrutiny indicated significant fund movements potentially linked to the betting corruption.
A series of police operations in Istanbul led to the detention of eight additional suspects in connection with the manipulation scheme, who are now facing judicial action alongside OB. In a related effort, Turkish authorities initiated an investigation into an illegal betting network that spanned across eight provinces.
The Interior Ministry reported that accounts associated with the suspects showcased suspicious financial activities totaling TL17.75 billion. They affirmed their intent to continue tackling illegal digital gambling to prevent illicit proceeds from infiltrating the economic system through financial and payment channels.
Earlier this year, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi characterized illegal betting as a “scourge that corrupts society” and emphasized the country's shift towards more stringent enforcement.
