Illegal betting investigation in Aydın: 37 suspects brought to court

The 37 people detained in an illegal betting investigation centered in Aydın were referred to court after the gendarmerie completed its procedures. The gendarmerie, a military law enforcement force responsible for rural areas, carried out the procedures. Three wanted suspects are still being sought.

The investigation, which was reported in the local press on Wednesday, is being conducted by the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The provincial gendarmerie's cybercrime unit is also involved. No suspect has been convicted so far.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) identified transactions worth 3 billion 484 million lira through accounts linked to 40 suspects. The operation was carried out on November 3 with simultaneous searches in Aydın and 13 other provinces. Temporary restrictions were then placed on 467 bank accounts, four crypto asset accounts and four vehicles.

Searches seized mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops, USB drives and hard disks. The scale of the investigation, the transaction volume and the size of the operation area across 14 provinces were said to point to how large the case is.

Meanwhile, last month in Istanbul, eight suspects in a separate case were charged with manipulating live betting systems. The manipulation reportedly caused losses of 12 million lira to licensed betting companies. At the center of that file is a person identified as OB, who works as a data analyst at Spordata, a company that provides sports data and operational infrastructure to legally licensed betting operators.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi earlier this year blamed the growth of digital currencies for the spread of illegal betting. Çiftçi described illegal betting as a plague that corrodes society and said it had now become a direct national security issue.