Turkey is intensifying its efforts against illegal betting, with Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi labeling the underground market a matter of national security. In a recent interview with Habertürk, Çiftçi outlined the alarming extent of illegal gambling in the country.
"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 stated.
Çiftçi warned that illegal betting has evolved beyond a mere issue of public order to become a direct threat to national security. "Illegal betting is a scourge that corrupts society," he said.
"You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyze, and respond to this threat," he added.
The Turkish government maintains an online gambling monopoly, managed through the National Lottery Administration and sports betting entity İddaa, both under the Spor Toto Organisation. Türkiye’s Law No. 7258 criminalizes the operation of gambling activities without a license, often linking these violations to money laundering and fraud, increasing the legal ramifications for offenders.
According to Çiftçi, the surge in digital payments and cryptocurrencies has exacerbated the illegal betting issue, making it a significant vehicle for money laundering. "Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies, and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organized crime," he said. He noted, "The global gambling market will reach $205 billion in 2030."
In response, the Turkish government is utilizing increased inter-agency cooperation to track suspicious accounts, payment flows, and online infrastructure in a bid to dismantle these illegal operations.
Çiftçi warned that illegal betting syndicates are now employing legitimate financial tools, shell e-commerce sites, and intermediary payment providers to facilitate their activities. "Criminal organizations are no longer robbing with knives or guns, but with algorithms and digital wallets, and we are responding in the same arena," he underscored.
As part of its crackdown on the black market, the government has blocked 548,420 illegal betting and gambling websites from 2006 to 2025, including 84,000 just in 2025. Last year, authorities took down 12,548 servers and connection addresses used for unlawful gambling operations.
The Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Investigation Bureau has been employing AI-powered systems and technical monitoring to identify various suspicious account patterns.
Influencers promoting illegal betting sites are also facing legal repercussions, according to the minister. The Interior Ministry's initiative extends beyond online gambling, addressing organized crime, human trafficking, and cybercrime as well.
"We deployed law enforcement, intelligence, and financial auditing agencies simultaneously in the fight against illegal gambling," Çiftçi explained. The crackdown on illegal gambling aligns with a broader public safety strategy, with Çiftçi emphasizing that "illegal gambling and international security threats are intertwined. We, as a country, recognized this a long time ago."
