Turkey cracked down on over 230,000 illegal gambling websites in 2024

The Turkish government acted against more than 230,000 illegal gambling websites in 2024 as part of its efforts to break the country's black market, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek has revealed.

While state-owned sports betting company IDDAA is the only organization that can legally offer Turkish citizens access to online gambling, many websites have been found offering these games without proper authorization.

Around 233,000 gambling sites were detected by the General Directorate of the National Lottery Administration (MPI), affiliated with the Ministry of Treasury and Finance (MoTF), in Turkey in 2024, with requests made to block access to the sites.

The websites were also reported to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office and the National Cyber ​​Crimes Department to commence criminal investigations.

The MPI figures for 2024, reported by the state-run Anadolu Ajansı agency, show an increase compared to 2023 when 168,000 illegal sites were detected. In 2024, some 56% of the illicit sites were located in the US, while a further 17% were of Armenian origin and 6% were of Dutch origin.

Şimşek in a statement 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.”

The Turkish administration has also expressed concerns over illegal lottery draws. In 2024, the National Lottery Administration (NLA) filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor’s offices regarding 286 unauthorized draws requesting legal action against businesses and their leaders. According to Şimşek, those organizing a lottery without NLA permission face imprisonment of up to six years and a judicial fine.

“Accordingly, permission is required for organizing any kind of lottery or raffle for paid or free goods,” Şimşek added. “Otherwise, administrative, financial or criminal sanctions stipulated in the relevant legislation may be encountered.”