Ankara shifts focus from blocking websites to dismantling the financial and criminal networks behind the black market
Turkey is stepping up its campaign against illegal gambling, with the government preparing a broader crackdown that will target not only betting websites but also payment networks, organised crime and the technology used to keep black-market platforms operating.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz delivered the message on 12 August during a high-level meeting in Ankara dedicated to Turkey’s action plan against illegal virtual betting and gambling.
Senior officials from across the Turkish state attended the meeting, including Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Justice Minister Akın Gürlek.
The government now views illegal gambling as more than a traditional law-enforcement problem, linking the sector to money laundering, organised crime, financial security and risks to children and young people.
Turkey wants to move beyond blocking websites
Yılmaz said the state had increased its capacity to identify and block illegal gambling platforms, including websites, servers and associated links.
Authorities are also targeting the infrastructure used to promote and operate illegal services, including bulk SMS campaigns, anonymous communications, foreign-linked communications, multiple mobile subscriptions and weaknesses in identity verification.
But Ankara’s strategy is increasingly moving beyond simply taking domains offline.
The government wants investigations to reach the financial infrastructure supporting illegal betting, including rented bank accounts, illicit payment systems and channels used to move criminal proceeds.
Yılmaz stressed that authorities would focus on the networks and payment infrastructure behind illegal gambling rather than concentrating solely on individual websites or betting accounts.
AI becomes the government’s latest tool
Technology is expected to play an increasingly important role in Turkey’s enforcement strategy.
Authorities are reportedly developing an AI-powered Illegal Betting and Gambling Scanning and Detection System designed to identify illegal gambling websites and respond more quickly when operators change domains, servers or payment routes.
The Cyber Security Presidency is expected to play a central role in the initiative.
Yılmaz argued that existing detection systems need to be supplemented with artificial intelligence and other technologies capable of identifying illegal activity more rapidly.
The move follows the reported use of AI-supported financial analysis in a major investigation in Gaziantep.
In July, investigators used data from Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), combined with AI-assisted analysis, to identify hundreds of suspects linked to more than three million financial transactions worth approximately TRY84.3 billion (around €1.75 billion).
The case illustrates the direction of Turkey’s enforcement strategy: using financial data and technology to map entire networks rather than pursuing individual gambling accounts.
Government adopts a broader definition of the threat
Turkey’s current campaign is based on an action plan introduced through a presidential circular in November 2025.
The framework brought several previously separate enforcement efforts into a single national system.
Implementation is monitored by MASAK every two months, while coordination meetings chaired by Vice President Yılmaz take place every four months.
The government says the approach is designed to stay ahead of illegal operators as they adapt their infrastructure and payment methods.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has also adopted increasingly strong language when discussing the crackdown.
Speaking on 8 August, Gürlek said Turkey was entering a “new dimension” in its fight against virtual betting, gambling, narcotics and organised street crime.
He warned that the authorities would pursue all levels of illegal networks, from individual participants to organised criminal structures.
Ankara is also targeting gambling demand
The government’s strategy is not limited to enforcement against operators.
On 9 August, the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications launched the #OyunaGelme public-awareness campaign, aimed at warning consumers about illegal betting and virtual gambling.
The campaign uses videos, graphics and infographics distributed through digital channels to challenge claims of easy money and highlight the risks of chasing gambling losses.
Authorities are also focusing on misleading advertising, social media content that normalises betting and promotional activity involving celebrities.
The message is that virtual gambling should not be viewed simply as entertainment, but as an activity that can lead consumers into repeated cycles of losses and financial harm.
More than half a million websites already blocked
Turkey’s crackdown is already operating on a considerable scale.
Government figures published earlier this year showed that authorities had blocked access to 548,420 illegal betting and virtual gambling websites between 2006 and 2025.
Of those, 84,585 websites were blocked during 2025 alone.
The figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing Turkish authorities, but they also explain why Ankara is now looking beyond domain blocking.
Illegal operators can rapidly establish replacement websites, move servers and change payment channels, making a strategy based solely on blocking domains increasingly difficult to sustain.
Turkey targets the infrastructure behind the black market
The latest measures suggest that Ankara’s next phase will be considerably more comprehensive.
Financial surveillance, cyber enforcement, AI-powered detection, criminal investigations and public-awareness campaigns are being brought together under a single strategy.
The objective is no longer simply to prevent Turkish consumers from accessing individual illegal betting websites.
Instead, authorities want to identify and disrupt the financial, technological and criminal infrastructure that allows the illegal gambling economy to continue operating.
For international operators and payment providers, the escalation is another indication that Turkey intends to maintain a hard line against unlicensed gambling activity and the networks supporting it.
As the government expands its use of financial intelligence and artificial intelligence, the next stage of the crackdown could make it increasingly difficult for illegal operators to remain hidden behind changing domains, payment accounts and offshore infrastructure.