Erdoğan orders wider financial crackdown on Turkey’s illegal betting economy

Turkey is escalating its campaign against illegal betting, with MASAK reportedly reviewing millions of user records, payment accounts and digital transaction trails as authorities try to cut off the financial networks behind unlicensed gambling.

Turkey’s campaign against illegal betting has entered a more aggressive financial phase after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered stronger monitoring of transactions and data linked to unauthorised gambling operators. The work is being led by MASAK, Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, which has been placed at the centre of the country’s wider action plan against illegal betting, games of chance and online gambling.

According to industry and domestic media reports, MASAK is reviewing around 13.8 million user data records connected to illegal betting databases and payment systems. Reports also say more than three million Turkish ID numbers have already been linked to gambling-related activity, while authorities are examining thousands of deposit and withdrawal accounts suspected of processing payments for illegal betting networks.

The latest phase appears to be closely connected to investigations into payment infrastructure. Turkish business outlet Ekonomim reported that an operation involving the Malta-based crypto asset provider Fincrypto UAB, known as Paymix, led to detention orders for 38 suspects over allegations that payment services were used to support illegal betting groups.

The financial focus reflects a broader change in Turkey’s enforcement strategy. Rather than only blocking websites or targeting visible operators, authorities are now trying to map the money flows behind illegal betting, including payment accounts, consumer transaction trails, digital wallets and possible offshore connections. This approach is intended to make it harder for illegal operators to keep serving Turkish users even when domains are blocked.

The legal and political background was set in November 2025, when Turkey published the “Action Plan for Combating Illegal Betting, Games of Chance and Gambling in Virtual Environments” in the Official Gazette. The Presidential Circular No. 2025/18 placed MASAK in charge of coordination and instructed public institutions to support the plan, which focuses on financial systems, digital platforms, advertising channels, crypto assets and cross-border activity.

Recent enforcement has also reached the media and sports sectors. Bianet reported that more than 200 people had been detained in a wider illegal betting investigation in which authorities alleged that over $2 billion had been laundered through the financial system. Separately, Turkey’s football betting scandal has already triggered investigations into referees, players and club officials, reinforcing the government’s view that illegal betting is not only a gambling issue but also a matter of financial crime and sports integrity.

For Turkey’s gambling market, the message is clear: illegal betting is being treated as a financial-crime problem as much as a regulatory violation. The short-term impact may be more account freezes, investigations, fines and pressure on payment intermediaries. The longer-term question is whether a heavily enforcement-led model can reduce illegal betting demand without pushing users and operators toward more hidden channels, including crypto-based and offshore systems.