In the wake of a busy 2024, Turkey continues to crack down on illegal gambling. The country banned hundreds of thousands of illegal and offshore websites. It is considering upping the ante in 2025.
Turkey identified and restricted over 233,000 illegal gambling sites in last year alone. This is according to official data. The General Directorate of the National Lottery Administration (Milli Piyango İdaresi – MPI) detected the sites. It blocked them and referred them to the chief public prosecutor’s office in Ankara and the national cybercrime department.
MPI understood that the majority or 56% of illegal sites targeting Turkey were located in the United States. Authorities stated that an additional 17% of the sites were based in Armenia and 6% in the Netherlands.
A state-run agency, Anadolu Ajansi reported that the aforementioned figures represent an increase in banned websites. For context, Turkey banned another 168,000 illegal brands in 2023.
For context, Turkey has a strict stance on gambling and follows a monopoly model. Under this system, only IDDAA, a state-owned company, can legally offer online games of chance.
Meanwhile, illegal lotteries remain widespread in Turkey. This adds to the trouble authorities are facing. The National Lottery Administration (NLA) recorded 286 unauthorized lottery draws last year. This highlights that the fight against illegal gaming spans multiple fronts.
Many have continued to violate the rules and host lucrative unlicensed games, even if organizers of illegal lottery games face a huge fine and up to six years in prison.
Turkey’s Minister of Finance, Mehmet Şimsek, emphasized the country’s commitment to fighting unlawful gambling and fraud. He emphasized that unlicensed operations funnel untaxed money into the black market and increase citizens’ risks of addiction and harm.
