18.05.2026 09:51
Another major operation was carried out against illegal gambling, which President Erdoğan said "we will uproot." Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated, "In an illegal gambling operation across 20 provinces, including Antalya, 183 suspects were detained. An illegal gambling organization with a transaction volume of 7 billion TL in Mersin was dismantled, with 50 detentions."
President Erdoğan's target in the fight against illegal betting and gambling, which he pointed out by saying "We will eradicate it," has seen another critical operation.
MINISTER GÜRLEK ANNOUNCED THE MAJOR OPERATION
Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced in a statement on his official X account that 183 suspects were detained in an illegal betting operation carried out in 20 provinces, including Antalya, and that a betting organization with a transaction volume of 7 billion TL was dismantled in Mersin alone.
"WE STRUCK TWO MAJOR BLOWS AT DAWN"
Minister Gürlek's statement is as follows: "We are relentlessly continuing our fight against criminal organizations that covet the lawful earnings of our nation, especially illegal betting and virtual gambling. In this context, two major blows were struck at dawn today against illegal betting networks targeting the future of our children and our economic security.
183 SUSPECTS DETAINED
As a result of months of meticulous work by our police force, coordinated by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was carried out in 20 provinces with the participation of 139 teams, and legal proceedings were initiated against 183 suspects whose accounts had a transaction volume exceeding 11.3 billion TL.
ORGANIZED CRIME NETWORK DISMANTLED IN MERSİN
In the operation conducted by our Gendarmerie on the instructions of the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an organized crime network laundering the revenues of foreign-linked illegal betting sites was dismantled. Fifty suspects with a transaction volume of 7 billion TL were apprehended, and all their assets, including luxury vehicles and apartments obtained from the crime, were seized.
I thank our Antalya and Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, our General Directorate of Security, our General Command of Gendarmerie, and all our cybercrime-fighting teams, the invisible heroes of the cyber world, who successfully carried out these operations against these structures targeting the peace of our nation and the economic security of our state.
"OUR STRUGGLE WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT COMPROMISE"
No criminal group is privileged before justice. Our fight against crime and criminal organizations, with the authority granted by law, will continue uncompromisingly until we eradicate their roots."
WHAT DID ERDOĞAN SAY?
President Erdoğan had stated regarding the fight against illegal betting, "We have implemented a comprehensive action plan to eradicate the scourge of virtual betting and gambling that drags our people into the swamp."