Justice minister orders prosecutorial action against illegal betting

ANKARA

Türkiye’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has instructed prosecutors across the country to intensify the fight against illegal online betting and virtual gambling, launching a coordinated nationwide effort.

In a formal directive signed by Gürlek, the ministry sent orders to 171 chief public prosecutors’ offices in all of the country’s 81 provinces.

Aimed at bolstering the effectiveness of illegal betting and gambling investigations, the directive seeks to identify operational hurdles and strengthen the coordination between law enforcement and judicial authorities.

Under the directive, every heavy penal court center must hold mandatory “information and coordination meetings” at least once every six months.

These meetings will bring together prosecutors specializing in cybercrime with police and gendarmerie units, with the outcomes of each meeting mandated to be formally reported back to the ministry.

The first meeting is required to take place within one month.

According to the ministry, the meetings will focus on examination of digital evidence, evidence collection procedures, asset seizure and preventive measures. They will also cover appellate and supreme court rulings and inter-agency data sharing.

Speaking to private broadcaster NTV earlier, Gürlek described illegal betting, virtual gambling and match-fixing as “one of society’s deepest wounds.”

“Unfortunately, almost everyone is exposed to this,” Gürlek said. “These betting sites operate from abroad. At first, they used and rented student bank accounts. Illegal betting always involves a management panel and a way for money to enter the system. When that money reaches Türkiye, it comes in as black money. It is not taxed.”

Gürlek emphasized that penalties for illegal betting have been insufficient and need to be reassessed.