Newsletters
Türkiye has identified Curacao, Malta, the Isle of Man and Seychelles as key licensing hubs used by illegal betting operators targeting the country.
The findings came from the General Directorate of the National Lottery Administration (MPI), which concluded that most illegal betting platforms serving users in Türkiye operate from abroad rather than within the country.
According to the report, the largest number of illegal betting websites targeting Türkiye were hosted in the United States, followed by the Isle of Man, Armenia and Colombia.
MPI also found that many operators obtained licenses from island jurisdictions and autonomous territories, including Curacao, Seychelles, Malta and the Isle of Man, before offering gambling services in Türkiye.
The authority stressed that illegal gambling operations are controlled entirely by organized crime groups, Turkish daily Sabah reported.
Authorities blocked access to 51,263 U.S.-based websites, 5,745 sites linked to the Isle of Man and 5,698 based in Armenia. They also notified Türkiye's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) to restrict access to 535,000 websites.
In total, authorities identified 84,585 illegal gambling websites operating from 70 countries, including platforms based in Israel.
MPI warned that illegal gambling networks target people regardless of age or income and are closely tied to other forms of organized crime.
"Criminal organizations operating virtual gambling and illegal games of chance and betting draw people of every age and every economic background into criminal networks. These gambling activities are linked to terrorism financing, money laundering, drug trafficking and other serious crimes."
Under 152 separate decisions, authorities also blocked links embedded in digital gaming platforms and game content, cutting access to 5,582,894 pages, images, audio files and payment-related information.
By 2025, Türkiye had blocked access to 84,585 illegal betting websites while also monitoring related domain names, redirect links and mobile access points.
Access restrictions were extended to social media platforms, messaging applications, and app-based redirection services, and authorities disabled 12,548 servers and connection addresses.
The report also said authorities imposed limits on cryptocurrency transactions, investigated suspicious financial flows, and referred identified cases to judicial authorities, leading to asset seizure proceedings.
In addition, 11 organizations were ordered to cease operations, while the licenses of four others were revoked.
Most recently, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz estimated Türkiye's illegal betting volume at between $20 billion and $60 billion.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
