Turkey’s state banks remove “Games of Chance” payment option, limiting direct transfers to betting and lottery platforms

Ziraat Bankası, Halkbank and VakıfBank have reportedly removed the shortcut from mobile and online banking, a move linked by local reporting to Ankara’s 2025–2026 action plan against illegal betting and online gambling.

Turkey’s three biggest state-owned lenders — Ziraat Bankası, Halkbank and VakıfBank — have reportedly removed the “Games of Chance” payment section from their mobile and online banking platforms, ending a “one-click” route that previously enabled direct transfers to betting and lottery services.

Turkish media describe the change as part of a wider policy push to reduce the convenience of gambling-related payments, with the stated aim of disrupting illegal betting flows and discouraging habitual play.

While the banks have not published a unified, detailed public explanation in the reports cited, the timing aligns with the government’s 2025–2026 “Action Plan to Combat Illegal Betting, Games of Chance, and Gambling in Digital Environments,” which explicitly prioritizes prevention and oversight inside the financial system and steps up scrutiny of banks, payment institutions, e-money firms and crypto platforms.

For operators and suppliers, the key takeaway is that enforcement in Turkey is increasingly moving “upstream” into payments: even legal, state-permitted gaming channels can face friction if authorities believe convenience is feeding broader harm or laundering risk. The market will be watching whether similar restrictions spread beyond state banks — and whether regulators clarify a consistent standard across the wider banking sector.