The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul has intensified its fight against illegal betting networks in Turkey by filing indictments against 57 suspects, while 28...
The Turkish government has announced plans to expand enforcement action against illegal gambling operations, as Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz shared during the Illegal Virtual Betting and Gambling Action Plan Monitoring and Coordination Meeting held on August 12, 2026.
Senior government officials, including Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, and Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, attended the meeting to review the action plan. Despite the parliament still being in recess, President Erdoğan used the period to intensify the fight against black-market gambling.
Vice President Yılmaz stated:
“We are in the process of implementing a proactive strategy in the field to stay ahead of the actions of illegal networks.”
The framework was first launched back in November 2025, and its implementation has since been reviewed every two months by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and through meetings chaired by the Vice President.
To improve enforcement, the government revealed that it will apply an AI-powered Illegal Betting and Gambling Scanning and Detection System, where the Cyber Security Presidency will play an important role in identifying illegal gambling websites and their users.
Additionally, on August 9, 2026, the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications rolled out a new awareness campaign against illegal gambling called #OyunaGelme, warning local users to stay away from manipulative language used by unlicensed operators that promise big wins.
