A report from the General Directorate of the National Lottery Administration (MPi) has highlighted the global scale at which Turkey is taking its battle against unlicensed gambling.
Marking a part of a wider crackdown on the illegal gambling sector by the government, a total of 84,585 websites spanning across 70 countries were blocked.
The report warned that illegal gambling sites are completely operated by criminal gang networks, which echoes the warnings of Entain earlier in the week, as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer Stella David, who recently stated that ‘unlicensed gambling operators are often little more than fronts for organised crime, which target vulnerable players and avoid tax’.
As part of the action and the report, it was revealed that the vast majority of sites that targeted the Turkish market were based in the US.
In total, the report revealed that of the blocked websites, 51,263 are based in the US, 5,745 in the Isle of Man, and 5,698 in Armenia.
Colombia, Curaçao, and Malta were also mentioned as being prevalent when it comes to hosting sites that target the Turkish market.
Turkish authorities have taken the hammer to a wider digital economy, clamping down on the fintech sector and online social media accounts that promote or enable the illicit gambling sector.
As a result of the latest action from the MPi, 2105 social media accounts were blocked, as well as 84,585 websites from 70 different countries.
Highlighting the extent to which Turkish authorities appear to be taking their action on those who enable online gambling, the country renewed its efforts to prosecute one of its most high-profile financial crime convictions, as Ahmet Faruk Karslı, the Founder and former CEO of fintech and neo-bank Papara, was re-arrested just days after a court had ordered his release.
Founded in 2016, Papara became Turkey’s largest digital wallet and neobank, serving millions of customers and establishing itself as a major player in Istanbul’s technology sector. Its rapid growth made it a symbol of Turkey’s digital economy, attracting investment and helping drive the country’s transition towards cashless payments.
Allegations were rife around Papara’s payment infrastructure since 2024. Investigators increasingly focused on whether the platform had become a conduit for illegal gambling transactions, with prosecutors now alleging that it formed the backbone of one of the largest illicit payment networks uncovered in Turkey’s financial system.
According to a Central Bank audit cited in the indictment, 26,012 Papara accounts were linked to illegal betting activity between 2021 and 2023. Prosecutors allege that approximately TRY12bn (+€250m) in transactions flowed through the platform before being transferred to 274 bank accounts and five cryptocurrency wallets.
Furthermore, the country has also set out stringent action against media firms, which now face tougher scrutiny of content, and platforms will be undertaken to ensure that there is no promotion of illicit gambling services.
The direct warning comes from Ticaret Bakanlığı, the Ministry of Trade of Turkey, after the department completed its latest advertising sweep of digital platforms.
Gaining mainstream news attention, the Ministry announced that it had “blocked 15 high-follower social media accounts,” though it has yet to disclose the identities of the individuals and which platforms they were abusing.
Turkish media were informed that the ‘individuals will be charged for promoting illegal gambling platforms with access to all their online inventory blocked’.
