Turkey has intensified its efforts against illegal betting, as stated by Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, who labeled the black market as a serious threat to national security. In a recent interview with Habertürk, Çiftçi discussed the vast scale of the illegal betting industry in Turkey, revealing that its annual financial impact reaches $40 billion. He emphasized the moral and social ramifications, stating, "For every gambling amount, there is a young person’s ruined future. According to our beliefs, gambling is haram [forbidden]."
Çiftçi further characterized illegal betting as a "scourge that corrupts society," noting that it has evolved beyond a simple matter of public safety to become a direct issue of national security. "You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyse and respond to this threat," he warned.
In Turkey, the state maintains a monopoly on online gambling through the National Lottery Administration and the sports betting company İddaa, which operates under the Spor Toto Organisation. Law No. 7258 criminalizes any gambling activities conducted without a license, often linking these violations to money laundering and fraud, resulting in harsher penalties for those involved.
Çiftçi also pointed out that the rapid growth of digital payment methods and cryptocurrencies has made illegal betting a significant mechanism for money laundering. He noted, "Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organised crime," and predicted that the global gambling market will swell to $205 billion by 2030.
In response, the Turkish government is enhancing inter-agency collaboration, focusing on tracking suspicious accounts and electronic payment pathways to dismantle these illegal operations. Çiftçi highlighted the challenges posed by illegal betting syndicates that utilize legitimate financial services, shell e-commerce businesses, and intermediary payment systems to further their activities. "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 declared.
To combat the expanding black market, the government has blocked 548,420 illegal betting and gambling websites from 2006 to 2025, with 84,000 targeted in 2025 alone. In the previous year, authorities also took down 12,548 servers and connection addresses associated with unlawful gambling operations.
Utilizing AI-assisted systems and technical monitoring, the Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Investigation Bureau has detected numerous suspicious account patterns. The ministry is also pursuing legal action against influencers who promote illegal betting platforms.
This crackdown is part of a broader initiative by the Interior Ministry that includes addressing organized crime, human trafficking, and cybercrime. In Çiftçi's words, "We deployed law enforcement, intelligence, and financial auditing agencies simultaneously in the fight against illegal gambling." He reiterated that efforts to combat illegal gambling are intertwined with broader public safety and international security issues, remarking, "Illegal gambling and international security threats are intertwined. We, as a country, recognized this a long time ago."
