Key points:
- Turkey shut down 233,000 illegal gambling websites in 2024, a 38% increase from 2023
- 56% of blocked sites originated from the US, with others from Armenia and the Netherlands
- Criminal and administrative actions were also taken against unauthorised physical and virtual draws
- The government has implemented strict penalties, including prison sentences of 3-6 years for unauthorised lottery operations
Turkey's National Lottery Administration (NPI) has reported the closure of 233,000 illegal betting and gambling websites in 2024, marking a notable increase from the 168,030 sites blocked in 2023.
Analysis of the blocked sites revealed that they originated from 95 different countries, with 56% based in the United States, 17% in Armenia and 6% in the Netherlands.
The administration also filed criminal complaints for 375,367 websites and 6,731 unique domain names with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Good to know: The crackdown extended beyond website closures to include unauthorised draws and raffles, with 286 cases reported to prosecutors in 2024
Commenting on the development, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek stated: "We are determined to prevent unregistered economic activities and financial crimes that cause tax loss and victimisation of our citizens. We are taking all kinds of measures to prevent illegal betting, virtual gambling and unauthorised draws, and we will continue to do so."
Turkey’s efforts echo a broader regional trend, with similar crackdowns on unlicensed gambling in neighbouring countries like Bulgaria, where many illegal websites were also closed throughout 2024.
