President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s demand for a complete ban on illegal gambling has prompted Turkey to undertake a major overhaul of its penal code, with sweeping changes set to take effect by 2026.
The reforms will sharply increase penalties for illegal gambling, online betting and participation offences, forming the backbone of Erdoğan’s wider “Action Plan to Eradicate Illegal Gambling.”
The directive was confirmed through a circular released by Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who reaffirmed the government’s full commitment to the President’s zero-tolerance stance.
“Each new loophole that allows these networks to operate within our country is being closed,” Tunç said. “Nobody, whether organiser or participant, can get away with digital anonymity or lax penalties from here on out.”
11th Judicial Package
The penal code reform stands as the centrepiece of Erdoğan’s 11th Judicial Package, described by the Ministry of Justice as a nationwide effort to dismantle the financial and digital infrastructure of unlicensed operators.
Tunç outlined that the package will grant prosecutors expanded powers of seizure, suspension and prosecution, while updating the Turkish Penal Code to raise prison terms and financial penalties for both individuals and organised groups.
Under the proposed reforms:
- Organisers of illegal gambling networks will face longer prison sentences, with enhanced penalties for crimes involving minors or cross-border coordination.
- Participants and intermediaries will face greater fines and asset confiscations, including the freezing of bank and digital payment accounts for up to 48 hours pending investigation.
- Proceeds of crime can be seized immediately, without prior reporting, and returned to victims where ownership is proven.
- Banks and payment processors will be legally required to provide data to prosecutors or courts within 10 days — failure to comply will trigger administrative or criminal sanctions.
“It no longer has to be a marginal issue,” Tunç continued. “Illegal betting is a coordinated, organised activity that takes advantage of our youth, destroys families and transfers money abroad. It is a national threat — and we will view it as such.”
Enforcement on Payments
The 11th Judicial Package will also tighten control over electronic payments and telecommunications systems that have enabled illegal operators to reach Turkish consumers.
All accounts at electronic payment institutions will require biometric or chip-ID verification. GSM line subscriptions will demand full electronic ID validation to prevent the use of false or deceased identities.
The compliance measures form part of Erdoğan’s demand for “direct results” by 2026, with the President warning that agencies will be held accountable for any failure to act.
“We cannot live with a shadow economy built on human weakness,” Erdoğan said during a recent cabinet session. “Every lira lost to illegal gambling is a lira stolen from our nation’s future.”
All agencies mobilised
The Erdoğan government has ordered all state agencies — including MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board), the BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority), and the state lottery Milli Piyango — to cooperate in enforcement.
Milli Piyango has already submitted a detailed report to MASAK identifying 239,000 domains in direct violation of Turkish gambling laws.
Chairman Ekrem Candan, Milli Piyango official, described the problem as “unprecedented”, adding: “We are witnessing industrial-level targeting of Turkish citizens via the internet. This is not a handful of rogue operators — it is a coordinated ecosystem that must be dismantled.”
Turkey has also warned Cyprus, Malta, Georgia and North Macedonia that they could face diplomatic and economic retaliation if they continue to shelter or license gambling operators targeting Turkish citizens.
Minister Tunç concluded that the revised penal code will establish a zero-tolerance framework for gambling offences in 2026 and beyond.
“Illegal betting breaks apart families, traps young people in debt and disrupts public order,” he said. “The Republic will make no compromises and will take all necessary action to destroy the apparatus that exploits our citizens and threatens social peace. This will be a hard, stalwart fight — and it will be won.”
