[REVISION HISTORY]

Turkey expands crackdown on illegal online gambling

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-02 16:28 UTC → 2026-09-09 11:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkish authorities have expanded their crackdown on illegal online betting, games of chance, and virtual gambling. Following a presidential circular issued on November 1, 2025, the government implemented an Action Plan to Combat Illegal Betting, Games of Chance, and Gambling in Virtual Environments. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has led coordination meetings in Ankara to address the issue, which officials categorize as a threat to financial system security, social welfare, and organized crime prevention. The strategy involves enhancing technical capabilities to target websites, servers, and connection addresses. Recent efforts have expanded to include preventing the use of rental accounts, combating illegal payment methods, and addressing mass SMS campaigns used to redirect users to illegal sites. To counter platforms that rapidly change domain names, Turkey is preparing to launch an artificial intelligence-supported ‘Illegal Betting Scanning and Detection System’. This AI-driven system aims to identify new illegal platforms almost instantly and track digital footprints, including individual users and bank accounts, through inter-agency data sharing. The strategy also includes reducing the appeal of legal gambling sites by modifying their visual designs and displaying public service announcements like ‘Don’t gamble with your life’. ~~On a local level, law enforcement has begun active interventions.~~ In ~~Kars, the Provincial Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Branch utilized 24/7 virtual patrol operations to identify illegal advertisements. This resulted in~~ September 2026, officials convened a ~~Kars Criminal Court of Peace ordering~~ panel in Ankara to address the ~~blocking~~ rising threat of ~~19 Instagram accounts~~ digital gambling addiction. Communication Director Burhanettin Duran warned that digital platforms utilize ‘dark patterns’ in design to manipulate user behavior. RTÜK President Mehmet Daniş described the issue as a ‘multi-dimensional mobilization’ requiring coordination across legal, financial, health, and ~~one website found~~ educational sectors. Vice President Yılmaz stated that Turkey aims to ~~be promoting unlawful gambling services.~~ bring the fight against these cross-border digital crimes to the international agenda.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.