Seven-second trick allegedly cost Turkish bookmakers ₺12 million

Prosecutors in Istanbul are moving forwarded with a case that involves eight suspects accused of manipulating live betting systems. The manipulation reportedly resulted in financial losses amounting to TL12 million ($241,144) for licensed bookmakers. 

Central to the investigation is OB, a data analyst employed by Spordata, a company responsible for providing sports data and operational infrastructure to legally licensed betting operators in Turkey.

Financial damages

According to local reporting, prosecutors alleged that OB exploited his role by intentionally delaying the transmission of live odds by approximately seven seconds during sports matches, including tennis and volleyball fixtures. 

This delay allowed him, alongside associates who opened betting accounts, to place wagers with foreknowledge of the actual scores, effectively guaranteeing an unfair advantage.

The delayed data transmission is said to have caused financial damages to Spordata itself, as well as the legal betting operators relying on its services. The prosecutor’s office estimated the cumulative losses from this scheme at TL12 million. 

‘I am managing the system right now’

Recovered communications cited by local reporting include WhatsApp messages such as “We will make good money”, “If you play, we will go through the money” and “I am managing the system right now”. These messages conflict with the suspect’s statement to police and prosecutors denying knowledge of the system or any message exchanges.

Subsequent to these findings, OB was detained. He was taken into custody in July of this year.

Expanding probe and financial investigations

Further investigations prompted scrutiny by Turkey’s financial crimes unit, which revealed considerable financial activity linked to OB’s accounts. Authorities identified inflows and outflows totalling approximately TL192 million, indicating significant fund movements potentially tied to the betting irregularities.

Following coordinated police operations in Istanbul, eight additional suspects connected to the manipulation scheme were apprehended and are now facing judicial proceedings alongside OB. 

Last month, the Turkish authorities launched a targeted investigation on an illegal betting network that stretched over eight provinces. 

The Interior Ministry confirmed that accounts connected with the suspects had exhibited suspicious financial activity amounting to TL17.75 billion.  

The Interior Ministry insisted that the crackdown on digital illegal gambling would persist as part of its broader strategy of preventing the proceeds of criminal activity being fed into the economy via banking and payment infrastructures. 

Earlier this year, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi was reported to have called illegal betting a “scourge that corrupts society” as he emphasised a move towards tougher enforcement.