Turkey is intensifying its efforts against illegal betting, as highlighted by Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, who referred to the underground market as a pressing national security issue.
In a recent conversation with Habertürk, Çiftçi shed light on the alarming size of Turkey's illegal gambling market, stating, "The annual cost of illegal gambling to Türkiye is $40 billion. Gambling has moral and social dimensions. For every gambling amount, there is a young person's ruined future. According to our beliefs, gambling is haram [forbidden]."
He continued, calling illegal betting a "scourge that corrupts society," and noted, "Illegal betting has long since transcended public order and has become a direct national security issue. You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyse and respond to this threat."
The country maintains an online gambling monopoly through its National Lottery Administration and the sports betting organization İddaa, which is managed by the Spor Toto Organisation. Turkey's Law No. 7258 criminalizes the operation or facilitation of gambling activities without proper licensing, frequently linking these offenses to charges of money laundering and fraud, which increases penalties for violators.
Çiftçi also pointed out that the rapid rise of digital payments and cryptocurrencies has turned illegal betting into a significant means of laundering money. "Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies, and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organized crime," he remarked. He projected that the global gambling market would hit $205 billion by 2030.
To combat these illicit activities, the Turkish government has initiated tighter inter-agency collaboration to track dubious accounts, payment flows, and online frameworks. "Criminal organisations are no longer robbing with knives or guns, but with algorithms and digital wallets, and we are responding in the same arena," Çiftçi added.
The government has significantly ramped up its enforcement measures. Between 2006 and 2025, authorities blocked 548,420 illegal betting and gambling websites, including 84,000 in 2025 alone. Last year, they took down 12,548 servers and connection addresses associated with unlawful gambling.
Utilizing AI-powered tools and technical monitoring, the Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Investigation Bureau has discerned various suspicious account patterns. In addition, the government is taking legal action against influencers who promote illegal betting sites.
The broader initiative led by the Interior Ministry focuses not only on gambling websites but also on organized crime, human trafficking, and cybercrime. "We deployed law enforcement, intelligence, and financial auditing agencies simultaneously in the fight against illegal gambling," Çiftçi stated.
Overall, Turkey's crackdown on illegal gambling forms part of a larger framework of public safety. "Illegal gambling and international security threats are intertwined. We, as a country, recognized this a long time ago," Çiftçi concluded.
