Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that an operation had been conducted under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to cut off the illegal betting money flow ahead of the Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş match. The work carried out by the Cybercrime Unit of the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command identified 345 illegal betting websites, 110 payment methods, 1200 IBANs and approximately 98 thousand linked websites; an access-blocking order was issued. In addition, 1200 bank accounts belonging to 1048 individuals and legal entities were seized. An investigation was launched against the suspects on charges of violating Law No. 7258 and laundering criminal proceeds.
Why it matters
The operation shows that the fight against illegal betting is targeting not only websites providing content, but also the accounts and payment channels used for money transfers. The access blocks aim to reduce the visibility of online networks, while the seizure of bank accounts aims to narrow the financial room for maneuver of these activities. The fact that the investigation also includes allegations of laundering criminal proceeds beyond the scope of Law No. 7258 indicates that the inquiry has expanded to cover the circulation of money obtained from betting activities. However, the available information does not reveal the roles of the identified individuals and organizations within the network or how the seized assets will be assessed in terms of the investigation; these points remain open questions in the judicial process.
Background
Gürlek is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 2 stories mentioning this name in the past 90 days; the most recent was dated September 4, 2026.