Turkish authorities have arrested 213 people following cybercrime operations across 29 provinces, with illegal betting and gambling among the offences under investigation.
The Ministry of the Interior said 409 suspects were detained in operations coordinated by the General Directorate of Security's Cybercrime Department, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and public prosecutors' offices.
A further 117 suspects were placed under judicial control, while proceedings involving the remaining detainees are continuing.
According to the ministry, coordinated raids were carried out in 29 provinces including Istanbul, İzmir, Antalya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Mersin, Samsun, Balıkesir and Aydın.
Authorities said the investigation covered a range of cyber-enabled offences including aggravated fraud and illegal betting.
Investigators alleged that suspects operated illegal betting and gambling websites, facilitated financial transfers linked to those platforms and promoted unlicensed gambling services online.
Other allegations included unauthorised access to mobile banking and gaming accounts through phishing attacks, as well as online fraud involving fake investment opportunities, product sales, property transactions and vehicle or bungalow rentals.
The operation forms part of an intensified enforcement campaign against Turkey's black-market betting sector. Turkish law permits betting only through authorised operators, while unlicensed online gambling remains prohibited.
During the past year, authorities have increasingly targeted not only betting websites but also payment processors, advertising networks, affiliate activity and financial infrastructure supporting offshore operators.
MASAK has played a growing role in these investigations by tracing bank accounts, payment channels, cryptocurrency transfers and other financial flows allegedly connected to illegal gambling activity.
The latest arrests also follow several large-scale operations carried out during 2026. Earlier this year, authorities announced legal proceedings against 55 suspects after raids across 14 provinces targeting an alleged illegal gambling network with reported transaction volumes of TL24bn ($514.5m).
Turkish authorities have also continued expanding website blocking measures, with gambling-related domains remaining among the largest categories of criminal online content removed or restricted by regulators.
Earlier this month, Turkish authorities remanded 32 suspects in custody following a Tekirdağ-led investigation into an alleged illegal betting network after investigators identified approximately TL1bn in account transactions linked to the operation. The case reflected the same enforcement strategy of targeting financial flows alongside betting platforms.
Turkish authorities have increasingly combined cybercrime investigations with financial intelligence to identify both betting operators and the payment networks supporting illegal gambling
