Illegal Betting

Illegal betting is organising betting on sports competitions outside the institutions authorised by the state. The main provision is Art. 5 of Law No. 7258 on the Regulation of Betting and Games of Chance in Football and Other Sports Competitions. For the offences to arise, there must be a sports competition; games on events that are not sports competitions are assessed under the offence of providing a place and facilities for gambling in the Turkish Criminal Code.

Offences

Law No. 7258 criminalises mainly:

• Organising betting online from within Turkey or abroad, or providing a place or facilities for it,
• Acting as an intermediary for payments relating to betting,
• Advertising illegal betting or encouraging participation in it.

These acts are punished with imprisonment and criminal fines. People who play illegal bets generally face an administrative fine.

Companies and the Financial System

• Payment intermediation: Bank accounts, payment institution accounts or crypto assets are often used for illegal betting payments. People who allow their accounts to be used this way also face investigation.
• Laundering: Legitimising illegal betting proceeds through companies constitutes money laundering.
• Advertising and content: Advertising through social media accounts and websites is a separate offence; access to such content is blocked.
• Personal data: Contact details obtained through data breaches are used to send illegal betting messages; see Commercial Electronic Message.