Türkiye Blocks Thousands of Illegal Betting Sites in Nationwide Crackdown
Türkiye has launched a nationwide campaign against online betting operators and their payment networks, blocking access to 47,493 illegal betting websites since January 1.
Authorities have detained 5,629 suspects in 680 operations, secured the pretrial detention of 3,231 individuals, and placed another 1,515 under judicial control.
Cybercrime units are conducting round-the-clock patrols of illegal betting sites, social media advertisements, and digital connections to payment systems.
Investigations have focused on tracing bank accounts, electronic-money services, and cryptoasset accounts suspected of helping operators collect wagers or transfer criminal proceeds.
A recent investigation in Istanbul identified seven shared crypto wallets outside Türkiye that allegedly received regular transfers from an illegal betting organization.
The network's total transaction activity was estimated at $4 billion, with all bank and crypto accounts associated with the suspects blocked.