Turkey is intensifying its campaign against illegal betting, with Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi labeling this underground market a pressing national security issue. In a recent discussion with Habertürk, Çiftçi detailed the immense scale of illegal gambling operations in the country. He stated, “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 underscored that illegal betting has evolved beyond a simple breach of public order to become a significant national security challenge, characterizing it as “a scourge that corrupts society.”
Çiftçi noted, “You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyse and respond to this threat.” The country’s National Lottery Administration operates an online gambling monopoly alongside the sports betting service İddaa, managed by the Spor Toto Organisation.
Under Türkiye’s Law No. 7258, facilitating unlicensed gambling activities is a criminal offense, often bundled with money laundering and fraud charges, thus amplifying penalties for offenders.
In his interview, Çiftçi pointed out that the rise of digital payments and cryptocurrencies has significantly changed the landscape of illegal betting, making it a key vehicle for money laundering. “Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organised crime,” he remarked, adding that the global gambling market is projected to reach $205 billion by 2030.
To combat these illicit activities, the Turkish government is enhancing inter-agency cooperation, focusing on monitoring suspicious accounts, payment flows, and online infrastructures. Çiftçi warned that illegal betting syndicates are now employing legitimate financial tools, including shell e-commerce sites and intermediary payment providers, to facilitate their operations. He remarked, “Criminal organisations are no longer robbing with knives or guns, but with algorithms and digital wallets, and we are responding in the same arena.”
In tackling the issue of illegal betting, the government has blocked over 548,420 illegal gambling websites since 2006, including 84,000 blocked in 2025 alone. Last year, law enforcement agencies took down 12,548 servers and connection addresses associated with unlawful gambling.
Utilizing AI-driven systems and technical surveillance, the Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Investigation Bureau has detected various suspicious account activities. As part of their crackdown, legal actions have been initiated against influencers promoting illegal betting sites.
The Interior Ministry's strategy extends beyond gambling to combat organized crime, human trafficking, and cybercrime. “We deployed law enforcement, intelligence and financial auditing agencies simultaneously in the fight against illegal gambling,” Çiftçi explained. The government views enforcement actions against illegal gambling within the larger context of public safety, asserting, “Illegal gambling and international security threats are intertwined. We, as a country, recognized this a long time ago,” he concluded.
