Turkey: 190 Arrested in Illegal Online Gambling Operation Across 45 Provinces

A large-scale operation targeting illegal online gambling has resulted in the apprehension of 190 suspects across 45 Turkish provinces. The investigation, coordinated by the Cybercrime Department of the General Directorate of Security and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), was led by the Gaziantep Provincial Police Department's Cybercrime Branch.

Authorities determined that the suspects were operating illegal betting platforms hosted outside Turkey. They were also involved in distributing franchises for these sites and facilitating financial transactions by providing IBANs for offshore illegal betting platforms. This indicates an organized criminal structure.

Through advanced data analysis, including AI-powered tools, investigators examined bank account activities. The analysis revealed a staggering total transaction volume of 84,293,213,000 Turkish lira across 3,127,307 individual transactions linked to the suspects' bank accounts. The simultaneous operations were launched in Gaziantep and 44 other provinces.