Turkey seizes 76.3 billion TL in illegal betting crackdown

Turkey’s justice ministry announced a coordinated crackdown on illegal betting and related money‑laundering networks. In Istanbul, authorities identified about 76.3 billion Turkish lira in transactions linked to betting and fraud, much of which had been transferred to cryptocurrency wallets and converted to USDT before being sent abroad. Simultaneous raids were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara and six other provinces (Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin, Muğla), resulting in the arrest of dozens of suspects – 78 in Istanbul, 119 in Ankara and a further 18 in the multi‑province operation. The investigations, led by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek and involving the police, cyber‑crime units, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and other agencies, also uncovered the use of fake invoices and crypto accounts to conceal proceeds. Several of those detained have been ordered to be held in pre‑trial detention, with a number already sentenced to imprisonment. The operations underscore a broad state effort to disrupt organized crime financing through digital channels.