Milli Piyango İdaresi (MPİ), the National Lottery Office of Turkey, has joined the “state’s fight against illegal gambling”.
Yesterday, MPI Chairman and General Manager, Ekrem Candan, submitted a dossier of “420,000 criminal complaints made against websites promoting illegal gambling activities”.
In a media address, Candan welcomed MPI’s involvement, submitting “years of evidence to MASAK”, Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, which is tasked with leading the government’s coordinated crackdown on illegal gambling and a pledge made by President Erdogan.
Candan held meetings with senior officials of MASAK, presenting data on 239,000 domains found to be in direct breach of Turkish gambling laws.
“We are facing a borderless threat that attacks our youth, our economy, and the integrity of our society,” Candan told reporters. “This is not just an issue of gambling; it is an issue of national security”.
MASAK leads Action Plan
The development follows the publication of Erdoğan’s 2025–2026 Action Plan for Combating Illegal Betting, Games of Chance, and Gambling in Virtual Environments, which was signed into law at the beginning of November. The plan mobilises the whole of the government under Erdoğan’s direct supervision, with MASAK acting as the central coordinator across ministries.
MASAK’s early reports show the first tangible results of the new framework. Since May, authorities have blocked 10,519 global gaming servers and 1,473 advertising sites, while financial flows totalling ₺2.2bn (€66m) in 2024 and ₺3.6bn (€100m) to date in 2025.
The unit has also identified offshore hosting networks traced to Malta, North Macedonia, and Georgia, prompting Ankara to warn that “aggressive measures” will be taken against jurisdictions or entities enabling Turkish-facing black-market gambling.
The action plan assigns specific enforcement roles across key ministries — the Interior Ministry overseeing cybercrime units, the BTK blocking digital platforms, the Treasury and Finance Ministry tightening payment and AML controls, the Justice Ministry prioritising prosecutions, and the Directorate of Communications policing influencer and promotional content.
Masak statement on the Action Plan: “Tools such as social media, payment infrastructures, and crypto assets have made access to these activities easier, giving the problem a cross-border dimension.
The situation makes it necessary to constantly improve detection, intervention, and monitoring capacity, and to adopt innovative measures.
Although this struggle is already being conducted in a multifaceted manner, the level of technological and financial sophistication and its international dimension make it essential to strengthen the legal and administrative infrastructure against illicit websites”.
Erdogan: Accountability on gambling by 2026
As reported by iGaming Expert (IGX), last month Erdoğan declared that “illegal gambling undermines our families, our youth, and our social fabric. It weakens the economy, empowers criminals, and will be eradicated by any means necessary.” The president added that “progress must be visible in 2026 — the Turkish state cannot allow this menace to exist any longer.”
Candan reiterated MPİ’s commitment to the president’s vision, highlighting the institution’s dual role as regulator and licensor of Turkey’s National Lottery.
“Our responsibility extends beyond prize draws, we must defend the state’s lawful assets and ensure that the lottery, operated through Sisal Şans, continues to serve the public interest,” he said.
“President Erdoğan’s mandate is clear: we will not only suppress illegal gambling, but we will build a stronger, more transparent system that protects our citizens and strengthens public trust in our national institutions.”
Milli Piyango remains an agency of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, serving as the regulatory and supervisory authority for all national lottery operations.
In 2019, its operating rights were transferred for 10 years to Sisal Şans, a joint venture between Flutter Entertainment-owned Sisal (Italy) and Demirören Holding (Turkey), under a public–private partnership model that ensures state oversight of all commercial gaming activities.
With the 2025–2026 plan now in full motion, Erdoğan’s campaign marks one of the most comprehensive enforcement drives in Turkey’s modern era — merging financial intelligence, digital surveillance, and inter-ministerial coordination to restore control over the nation’s online gambling landscape.
