The Ministry of Finance is cracking down on illegal betting and online gambling.

According to information obtained from the Ministry, the fight against illegal betting and online gambling is of great importance in preventing the transfer and laundering of criminal proceeds.

MASAK determined that illegal betting collections are transferred to bank accounts after being collected by payment and electronic money institutions, and that these amounts are converted into crypto assets and sent to the leaders of criminal organizations.

The institution revealed that more than 280,000 bank accounts were used for this purpose between 2022 and 2024, and information regarding individuals who facilitated the use of these bank accounts was forwarded to judicial authorities.

In this context, more than 1 million payment and e-money accounts used by illegal betting and gambling sites operating under various names such as "Acarbet, Atlasbet, Avrupabet, Nakitbahis, Palacebet, Perabet, Ultrabet, Meritking, Meritslot" were closed.

Closure of more than 3,000 virtual POS

Closure operations were carried out for more than 3,000 virtual POS used for illegal betting collections, and the closure of a company identified as a front crypto asset service provider, which was found to convert the amounts obtained from these POS into crypto assets, was ensured, and the situation was reported to judicial authorities.

Last year, transactions worth approximately 500 million lira and 5.5 million dollars suspected of illegal betting were blocked at the attempt stage, and information was provided to the chief public prosecutors. This year, in cooperation with security and judicial units, approximately 7 billion lira of unjust gains were detected in the Cyber Eye-46 Operation. In the Cyber Eye-14 operation, recorded as Turkey's largest cyber operation, billions of lira worth of criminal proceeds were seized.

The financial flows of two major organized crime groups that facilitate the transfer of thousands of accounts in the financial system by renting or stealing them for illegal betting collections were cut off. Information about the organization leaders and those who established the financial infrastructure, as well as those who carried out software and hardware operations, was forwarded to judicial authorities.

National Lottery also took precautions against the sites

The National Lottery Administration (MPİ) is also identifying all kinds of illegal gambling and betting internet sites that operate in the virtual environment and reporting them to the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK).

In this regard, last year, 168,030 and in the January-September period of this year, 183,260 sites were identified, and notifications were made for access restrictions. This year, measures were taken for an average of about 20,000 sites per month. In the first 9 months of the year, it was observed that 98,000 of the blocked sites were of US origin, 32,000 were from Armenia, and 12,000 were from the Netherlands.

Since the regulation on games of chance played in the virtual environment came into force in 2006, notifications have been made for 422,594 sites, and access restriction measures have been implemented for 393,013 of them.

Preparation for a new criminal complaint

MPİ filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in February for 168,000 sites that continued to operate under different names despite access restrictions being imposed between 2016-2023. The judicial process regarding these sites is ongoing.

Additionally, a criminal complaint was filed regarding internet sites operating under various names such as Meritking, Meritbet, and Meritslot, which were blocked 739 times between 2021-2024. Evidence collection efforts continue for the sites that were blocked in the January-September period. A new criminal complaint will also be filed against the officials of these sites and those who facilitate money transfers for illegal activities.

"Our citizens are unknowingly getting involved in crime"

Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek stated that they continue their uninterrupted struggle to prevent unregistered economic activities and financial crimes that cause tax, revenue, and public share losses.

Emphasizing that illegal sites and game platforms operated by criminal organizations pose a threat to public finance and social order, Şimşek said, "Internet sites that broadcast to our country through servers established abroad and are operated by organized crime groups transfer the income obtained from crime abroad or launder it."

Şimşek warned those who gamble and bet on sites operated by criminal organizations and citizens whose bank information or electronic payment accounts are used for collections by these sites, saying:

"These citizens are unknowingly getting involved in crime. Thus, they face both economic losses and the risk of being subjected to judicial investigations. It is important for our citizens, especially students and young people, to be very careful and conscious, not to become members of illegal sites and platforms, not to share their personal and financial information with criminal organizations, and to protect themselves from financing criminal activities. Crimes committed in the virtual environment always leave traces. If they do not want to be subjected to administrative and judicial investigations later, they should stay away from online gambling and illegal betting and similar games. This information is often used in the process of covering up the traces of illegal betting and fraud proceeds. Those who share this information face various sanctions, including imprisonment."

"We are determined to completely eliminate it"

Şimşek stated that they will closely monitor all judicial investigation processes until the criminals are identified and punished and will intervene in the cases, saying, "We are determined to prevent unlicensed activities in the gambling sector and the resulting tax losses and evasion, and to completely eliminate illegal online gambling. In the upcoming period, we foresee new measures that will solve the problems in practice and minimize financial crimes. We are evaluating all options, including legislative changes. For this purpose, we are working on a comprehensive and integrated new fight concept with the contributions of all parties involved."

"Financial institutions must do their part"

Minister Şimşek emphasized the critical importance of financial institutions doing their part in the fight against illegal betting, stating:

"For this reason, MASAK will soon tighten the regulatory obligations regarding financial institutions, especially payment institutions and crypto asset service providers, and increase audits. In this context, MASAK will work in cooperation with the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, and the Capital Markets Board. At the same time, it is anticipated that penalties will be increased for institutions that do not operate an effective monitoring and control system to prevent such financial transactions and show negligence and vulnerability.