The people shaping Turkey’s 2026 illegal betting crackdown

800 illegal operations identify the 2026 crackdown scale

Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, known as MASAK, leads the aggressive campaign against illegal betting. Between January and August 2026, authorities recorded over 800 illegal betting operations. This number is more than three times the average of 250 operations from previous years. During the Sibergoz-46 operation, officials identified 7 billion lira in illicit earnings. The operation targeted illegal betting sites with names like Acarbet, Atlasbet, and Nakitbahis and shut down over 1 million payment accounts. In the first nine months of 2026, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority received reports for 183,000 illegal betting sites. Investigators also examine more than 14,000 deposit accounts and 52,000 withdrawal accounts suspected of moving money through offshore gambling channels. Domestic reports state that more than three million Turkish ID numbers connect to gambling-related activity. The crackdown also involves 35 provinces where authorities arrested 108 people to dismantle illegal networks. President Erdogan groups online betting with alcohol and drugs as forces that damage the national fabric. He promises to eliminate illegal gambling by whatever means necessary before the next general election. The government targets the financial infrastructure of offshore bookmakers.

Justice Ministry and banking enforcement

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc leads an Action Plan against illicit gambling. This plan coordinates all government agencies under the direction of President Erdogan. The 11th Judicial Package, which the Ministry of Justice approved on December 15, increases the power of prosecutors to seize assets, suspend operations, and pursue cases tied to financial crimes and illegal gambling transactions. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek also directs prosecutors to intensify efforts across all 81 provinces. He issued a formal directive to 171 chief public prosecutors’ offices to strengthen coordination between law enforcement and judicial authorities. Under this directive, heavy penal court centers must hold mandatory information and coordination meetings at least once every six months. For banks and payment companies, the package imposes obligations to block the financial pipelines for illegal betting sites. Banks face larger fines and can have digital payment accounts locked for 48 hours during probes. Financial institutions must also provide transaction details and account histories to prosecutors within 10 days. Major banks like Ziraat Bankasi, Turkiye Is, and Garanti BBVA began issuing customer warnings during the Christmas period. Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Simsek works with the Central Bank of Turkiye and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency to strengthen surveillance. You probably realize that the state holds a monopoly on all legal sports betting in Turkey.

Corporate seizures and celebrity arrests

The state expands its control over private enterprises through the use of court-appointed trustees. More than 1,156 companies are now under state oversight, administration, or supervision. These companies employ nearly 50,000 people and control assets approaching 1 trillion Turkish lira. The total annual turnover for these holdings exceeds 270 billion lira. The seizure of Imamoglu Insaat in March 2025, where 52 companies were put under trusteeship, shows how the state uses economic oversight to target political rivals. Enforcement also hits the media and entertainment sectors. Authorities arrested actor Atakan Yilmaz and influencer Kerimcan Durmaz for promoting illegal betting. In late 2025, a football scandal led to the arrest of Eyupspor Chairman Murat Ozkaya and seven others. The investigation into the football betting scandal revealed that 371 of the 571 active referees in professional leagues held betting accounts, and 152 of those referees were actively gambling on matches across the country. The Turkish Football Federation also suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations. In another instance, authorities seized 121 companies belonging to Can Holding. Authorities also shut down over 3,000 virtual POS systems and 1 million payment accounts used for unlawful transactions. Will the government’s focus on international hubs like Georgia and North Macedonia successfully dismantle the foreign-based platforms?

State monopolies and tax changes

The legal market remains a strict monopoly. The state-run platform IDDAA is the only entity allowed to offer internet gambling services. This situation is certain to continue because the government maintains a tight grip on sports betting. The state also manages horse racing through the Jockey Club of Turkey. In 2024, the government announced a 50 percent reduction in taxes on betting and lotteries. This decision benefits entities like Demiroren Holding, which oversees Iddaa. Demiroren Holding also faces significant debt to Ziraat Bank, totaling nearly 921 million lira as of late 2022. The regulation of online gambling follows a long history of state control. Turkey banned casinos in 1998 after the assassination of Omer Lutfu Topal. The government also banned non-state online gambling in 2006. In 2013, the Turkish Parliament increased penalties for individuals who access online gambling services. The 2017 Privatisation Act allowed the Turkey Wealth Fund to manage games of chance and horse racing bets. This remains the primary method of control in the Turkish gambling market.