Turkey shuts down over 230,000 illegal igaming sites in 2024
Turkey closed down over 233,000 illegal gambling sites in 2024, according to official government data published by state-run news agency Anadolu Ajansi.
The country’s National Lottery Administration was in charge of identifying and blocking the illegal operations and referring them to the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara and the national cyber crime department.
According to the National Lottery Administration, around 56% of illegal gaming sites targeting Turkish players were based in the U.S. A further 17% were located in Armenia, while 6% were based in the Netherlands.
The figures for 2024 represent an increase in the number of illegal gaming operations in Turkey, with 168,000 banned in 2023. Organizers of illegal gaming can face fines and up to six years in prison.
Online gaming in Turkey is regulated by the National Lottery Administration, which only allows the state-owned sports betting company IDDAA to offer online games of chance.
Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said, “We are determined to prevent unregistered economic activities and financial crimes that cause tax loss and victimization of our citizens. We are taking all kinds of measures to prevent illegal betting, virtual gambling and unauthorized draws, and we will continue to do so.”
Turkey has recently started cracking down on illegal online gambling, with the Cyber Crimes Combat Department and the Gendarmerie General Command working together to tackle unlicensed operators.
At the turn of the year, Turkish actor Atakan Yilmaz and social media influencer Kerimcan Durmaz were arrested by a Turkish court for promoting illegal betting advertisements.
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