37 Suspects Referred to Court in Illegal Betting Operation

In an operation carried out under the coordination of the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, with the support of the provincial gendarmerie unit for combating cybercrime, simultaneous searches were conducted in 14 provinces, including Aydın, on 3 November. In the investigation into illegal betting activity, 37 people were referred to court. Efforts to locate the three suspects being sought are ongoing. None of those referred to court has yet been convicted in this case.

Mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops, USB drives and hard disks were seized during the searches. The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) identified transactions worth approximately 62.2 million euros (3 billion 484 million TL) in accounts linked to 40 suspects. Following this, temporary restrictions were imposed on 467 bank accounts, 4 crypto asset accounts and 4 vehicles.

It has also been noted that the reported transaction volume does not directly mean illegal betting revenue or a loss to the state. Investigators have not yet established that every transaction is directly linked to betting.

The Aydın operation is being considered together with other investigations across Türkiye. In a separate case in Istanbul in October, 8 suspects are accused of manipulating live betting systems. These allegations claim that licensed betting companies suffered losses of approximately 214 thousand euros (12 million TL). One of the suspects works as a data analyst at Spordata, a company that provides sports data and operational infrastructure to licensed betting operators.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi had previously said that illegal betting has grown with the use of digital money and has become a national security issue. Devices and financial records seized in Aydın continue to be examined. Investigators are working on determining responsibilities and whether further legal action is needed.