Thirty-seven suspects referred to court in Aydın illegal betting investigation
Thirty-seven people detained in an investigation into suspected illegal betting centred on Aydın have been referred to court after completing procedures with the gendarmerie, a military police force responsible for rural areas. Three other suspects are still being sought.
Reported locally on Wednesday, the inquiry is being co-ordinated by the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the involvement of the provincial gendarmerie’s cybercrime unit. The authorities have not yet convicted the 37 people.
Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, known as MASAK, identified 3.484 billion Turkish lira in transactions through accounts linked to the 40 suspects.
Searches across 14 provinces
The operation took place on 3 November, with simultaneous searches in Aydın and 13 other provinces. Following that, the authorities placed interim restrictions on 467 bank accounts, four crypto-asset accounts and four cars.
Searches reportedly recovered mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops, USB memory sticks and hard drives.
The reported transaction volume and the operation’s reach across the 14 provinces indicate the scale of the investigation. The restrictions and seized devices form part of the ongoing inquiry.
Illegal betting continues to make headlines in Turkey
Just last month, prosecutors in Istanbul moved forward with a case involving 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 was OB, a data analyst employed by Spordata, a company responsible for providing sports data and operational infrastructure to legally licensed betting operators in Turkey.
Earlier this year, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi blamed the growth of digital currencies for illegal gambling’s expansion in Turkey.
Çiftçi also brandished illegal gambling as a “scourge that corrupts society“.
“Illegal betting has long since transcended public order and has become a direct national security issue,” he warned. “You cannot manage a threat you cannot see. Türkiye has now reached a capacity to see, analyse and respond to this threat.”