Turkey is accelerating major changes to its gambling laws, including prison sentences for players, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised stronger action against illegal betting.
At a meeting with Members of Parliament from the Black Sea region in Ankara’s Hakimevi building, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said young people and children are increasingly exposed to drugs and online gambling.
Gürlek said lawmakers are working on new regulations that would make illegal gambling punishable by prison sentences for players.
He stated: “The problem in Turkey is that, unfortunately, illegal betting is not considered a crime. Those who organise, broker, transfer money and provide bank accounts are criminal. But someone who engages in illegal betting is not committing a crime. We are working on a regulation to make it a crime.”
Gürlek also noted efforts are being made to speed up illegal gambling court cases and enforce deadlines for prosecutors. He stated that if judges and prosecutors do not complete files within the specified time, the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors will take the necessary action.
Earlier, President Erdoğan also reinforced this position, saying: “We have launched a comprehensive action plan to root out gambling.”
Turkish police recently launched a large-scale operation against illegal online gambling networks using an AI-supported system called “Avcı,” detaining 108 suspects.
Authorities blocked access to 5,151 URLs, including 5,000 illegal gambling websites, 111 promotional or redirect sites and 40 payment intermediaries linked to the networks.
Earlier, it was reported that Turkey is planning fines for around 3.1 million players identified in illegal betting sweeps, with penalties ranging from TL 100,000 ($2,200) to TL 400,000.
Justice Minister Gürlek recently stated on social media that, under the leadership of President Erdoğan, strong coordination between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior remains central to the fight against criminal organisations
