Turkish study links frictionless payments and targeted platform design to increasing gambling harm 

A multi-disciplinary study into Turkey’s digital gambling sector has revealed that the issue extends beyond individual choice and now represents a significant public-health, regulatory and financial-integrity challenge.

Conducted in collaboration with gambling support charity Yeşilay Danışmanlık Merkezi (YEDAM), the research analysed three linked datasets from 2020 to April 2025.

This included over 22,000 helpline calls, 14,458 initial clinical assessments and 3,767 social-service records. Findings were supplemented by in-depth interviews and expert policy consultations. 

The report identified a structural system-led dependency on gambling. This was fuelled by three interrelated factors which ranged from constant access to digital gambling platforms, frictionless payment systems and targeted platform designs that promoted ongoing participation.

Customer profile and usage patterns

Looking at customer profile and usage patterns, the report found that the average age of treatment-seeking individuals was 34.7 years.

Problematic gambling also spanned socio-economic groups, including those with secondary education and stable employment.

Men represented approximately 97% of treatment cases, although the research suggested women may be under-represented in treatment rather than absent from play. The highest incidence is among the younger-adult (26-35) and mid-career cohorts (36-45). 

About 83.7% concealed gambling from their family, and about 46% reported social exclusion. Participants reported gambling during work hours, lost focus and reduced productivity. High-risk occupations included security personnel, gig and night workers and the low-income self-employed. 

The ease of digital wallets

Initial gambling exposure was often through sports betting; however, there had been a recent shift towards casino-style digital games.

Rapid and often opaque mechanisms such as digital wallets, instant credit offers and off-platform payment chains significantly contributed to gambling-related harms.

Many clients financed gambling with credit cards, family loans, or informal lenders, frequently resulting in substantial debts. 

About 84% reported gambling-related debt and 49.8% owed more than 100,000 TL ($2,033). Borrowing came mainly from family (52%) and banks (28%). Women use credit cards more (37.1%), men more cash (58%). 

Targeted promotions, loyalty and bonus systems, auto-play, rapid spin mechanics and aggressive retargeting served to heighten gambling risks, the report found, while personalised platform design prolonged user engagement time and diminished awareness of losses.

The research urged regulated operators to move beyond compliance with advertising rules and towards comprehensive product governance with a consumer-harm focus.

Enhanced financial controls and urgent advertising regulations

Comparative analysis with regulatory frameworks in the UK, Germany, Nordic countries and the US revealed there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, the report advocated for targeted harm reduction and bolstered digital oversight.

Enhanced financial controls were recommended, including AI-supported transaction monitoring and greater coordination between MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board), the banking regulator and law enforcement agencies. 

The report also advocated for the application of internationally learned restrictions, such as deposit limits and an improved utilisation of self-exclusion tools across licensed services.

Urgent updates to digital advertising regulations were called for, including legal classifications of “indirect gambling promotion” and stricter rules within youth-facing media platforms

YEDAM data revealed a significant unmet demand for counselling and barriers to help-seeking due to stigma. Therefore, the report recommended scaling digital counselling, anonymous helplines, family support programmes and group therapy sessions.

Cracking down on the black market 

Alongside sustainable gambling, Turkey has strived for a crackdown on illegal betting networks. 

Last month, Turkish law enforcement agencies launched a sweeping operation targeting illegal betting networks across eight provinces. It followed investigations that uncovered financial transactions linked to 177 suspects. Accounts connected with the suspects had exhibited suspicious financial activity amounting to TL17.75 billion.  

This came after Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi described the black market as a “scourge that corrupts society“. 

“The annual cost of illegal gambling to Türkiye is $40 billion. Gambling has moral and social dimensions. For every gambling amount, there is a young person’s ruined future. According to our beliefs, gambling is haram [forbidden],” he told local paper Habertürk .