Turkey’s illegal betting crackdown is turning into a new political flashpoint after the main opposition CHP unveiled its own action plan and accused the government of losing control of the problem.
The CHP argues that site blocking and periodic raids will not be enough while illegal betting networks still have reliable payment routes and easy access through mobile channels.
CHP tries to shift the debate from raids to responsibility
CHP lawmakers Murat Emir and Ozan Bingöl presented the plan in parliament on January 19, framing gambling and illegal betting as a public safety and governance issue, not just a policing topic.
They also called for a parliamentary investigation commission to examine the causes and effects of gambling addiction and illegal betting, signalling they want the issue debated as a national policy failure, not a series of isolated crimes.
Follow the money, and stop treating blocks as a solution
A central CHP demand is a stronger focus on financial enforcement, including a bigger role for MASAK in tracing money laundering, account-rental schemes, and payment flows that keep illegal betting running even when domains are blocked.
That argument lands as the government highlights its own monitoring results. Anadolu Agency reported that Turkey blocked 548,420 illegal betting and “virtual gambling” sites between 2006 and 2025, including 232,899 in 2024 and 84,585 in 2025, while describing the financial system as the key mechanism that sustains the activity.
A new watchdog pitch meets a tougher government posture
CHP is also pushing a structural reset: a single comprehensive Gambling Law and a dedicated Gambling Regulation and Supervision Authority, moving oversight away from fragmented control and toward one regulator with clear accountability.
For now, the government’s track is enforcement-first. A Justice Ministry circular tied to Erdoğan’s “zero tolerance” stance has been linked to penal code changes and wider powers aimed at illegal gambling networks. The next test is whether CHP’s plan forces more transparency on results, not just rhetoric.
