Developments are gathering pace in Turkey, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan orders all state authorities to eradicate illegal gambling — a pledge that must be delivered before the next election.
Erdoğan has ordered a full assault on illegal gambling websites amid glaring international headlines of betting corruption across all levels of Turkish football. Meanwhile, domestic media exposés have highlighted the AKP government’s failure to address problem gambling, reported as an epidemic growing in the shadows of Turkish youth.
Turkey’s gambling fallout comes at the lowest point of Erdoğan’s 14-year presidency, as failure to control gambling will be weaponised by the growing opposition to the AKP regime. Observing developments, 4H Agency Head of Analytics Stasya Yautodzyeva details Turkey’s problematic history with gambling, as former decisions come back to haunt Erdoğan.
The stakes have never been higher for Erdoğan and the AKP government, as Turkey’s unwinding narratives should be closely followed by all industry stakeholders.
Evolution of Turkey’s Gambling Framework
Modern gambling regulation began in 1984 with the legalization of horse racing betting. Casinos followed in 1990, triggering a short-lived boom that ended with a full casino ban in 1998 due to crime concerns and high-profile incidents. Despite the ban, public appetite for gambling persisted, and the state expanded its own controlled offerings.
Key milestones include:
· 2004 – launch of IDDAA, the state sports betting platform.
· 2006-2007 – regulations banning all online gambling except through state channels.
· 2013 – penalties for financial institutions and individuals linked to offshore gambling.
· 2019 – ten-year license granted to the Sisal-Şans Joint Venture Group to modernize state-controlled gambling.
Today, Turkey maintains one of the most restrictive gambling systems in Europe. Legal gambling is limited to monopoly, with online casinos, poker and other gambling verticals remaining illegal. Penalties include multi-year prison terms and heavy judicial fines for providing or facilitating gambling services.
Road to an anti-offshore enforcement state
In 2022, the first notable signs of corruption and unfair play emerged. While the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) insisted that Turkish sport was clean, authorities almost simultaneously uncovered 15 offshore betting sites operating in Turkey. This marked the beginning of a coordinated campaign to dismantle illegal channels, separate from the licensed monopoly system.
A major turning point came in 2024. During the Galatasaray-Adana Demirspor match, advertising for an offshore operator appeared on stadium billboards. Galatasaray also announced a controversial external sponsorship, later suspended.
TFF responded by introducing unified rules: a complete ban on offshore operators in stadiums and club assets, escalating fines and point deductions for repeat violations. By late 2024, the Ministry of Interior and the prosecutor’s office expanded their crackdown, detaining individuals involved in promotion, blocking technical access routes and reporting millions of intercepted illegal transactions.
By early 2025, public concern grew as media reports highlighted minors being exposed to offshore betting. Parliament introduced amendments banning sponsorship and advertising of gambling on TV, radio and outdoor media, along with tighter restrictions for online ads. Mandatory warnings, spending limits and hotline information for white sector became requirements. Courts and regulators also restricted access to streaming platforms used to promote offshore content.
In spring 2025, enforcement shifted decisively to payment infrastructure – the backbone of offshore operators’ ability to serve Turkish users. In March, regulators suspended the licenses of PayFix, Ininal and Aypara. In May, authorities targeted Papara: its founder and 12 others were detained, TMSF (Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund) assumed temporary control, assets worth about ~US$ 118m were seized and daily operational limits were imposed. Investigators linked 26,000 Papara accounts to offshore betting, with an estimated transaction volume of ~US$ 305m. Nationwide raids against illegal gambling and associated financial schemes had by then become a standard enforcement tool.
Fallout in Turkish Football
In autumn 2025, Turkey launched its most extensive football integrity probe to date, after data indicated that referees and club personnel held betting accounts on offshore platforms. A TFF audit revealed 371 match officials with betting accounts and 152 who had placed bets – in some cases thousands over several years. TFF suspended 149 referees and assistants and referred cases to disciplinary bodies. Prosecutors issued warrants for 21 individuals, including 17 referees, and questioned the president of Eyüpspor. More than 1,000 professional players across divisions were also referred for review. Lower leagues temporarily adjusted their schedules, while the Süper Lig continued under heightened scrutiny.
No confirmed match-fixing verdicts have been issued in the Süper Lig, but the scope of violations indicates that betting by officials is seen as a systemic integrity risk. The probe aligns with Turkey’s broader anti-offshore effort, linking sports governance with national financial and regulatory actions.
AKP: Enforcement over all alternatives
Turkey’s fight against illegal gambling reveals a structural conflict between a closed state monopoly and a resilient offshore digital market. Over the past three years, enforcement has expanded into a coordinated national system targeting advertising, payments, influencers and sports manipulation.
However, the underlying tension remains. With no competitive legal alternatives, user demand continues to flow toward offshore operators. Enforcement can disrupt visibility but cannot eliminate offshore activity. In the near term, stronger conflict-of-interest rules, reinforced betting bans for officials and mandatory data-sharing with Iddaa and its licensed platforms (such as Misli) are expected. Regardless of whether manipulation is ultimately proven, governance will tighten across Turkish football, improving oversight and trust in results.
Turkey’s crackdown is both predictable and incomplete: the state is more assertive and technologically equipped, but offshore markets persist by design. Sustainable long-term control would require not only prohibition but competitive legal channels – something the current monopoly model does not offer.
