Turkey police detain dozens in nationwide illegal betting and match‑fixing crackdown

On 5 June 2026 Turkish police, led by the Istanbul Metropolitan Police Economic Crimes Department and coordinated with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, carried out simultaneous raids across up to 27 provinces. The operations targeted a criminal network that coordinated pre‑arranged match results, legal and illegal betting, and money‑laundering through cryptocurrency wallets. Roughly 80‑90 suspects were arrested, with 74 held in pre‑trial detention and the rest placed under judicial control. Authorities seized assets worth about 350 million TRY, including 83 properties and businesses, and blocked bank and crypto accounts. Financial investigations uncovered transaction volumes of 192 billion TRY in the Istanbul‑centric network, 8 billion TRY in the Antalya‑based ring, and around 4.5 billion TRY linked to the Muş operation. The crackdown also resulted in the confiscation of digital devices and, in some cases, firearms. The large‑scale bust aims to dismantle organized crime involved in sports corruption and illicit gambling across Turkey.