Betting operation in 31 provinces centered in Kocaeli: 6.6 billion TL money flow prevented, 101 arrests

Under the coordination of the Kocaeli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous and comprehensive operation was launched across Turkey targeting illegal betting and gambling rings. Conducted by the Cyber Crime Units, the efforts resulted in a massive operation network covering 31 different provinces, targeting all financial and physical elements of the criminal organization. Within the scope of the operations, a total of 120 suspects were referred to the judicial authorities; 101 were arrested and sent to prison, while 19 suspects were released under judicial control measures.

According to investigation details, the criminal organization had established an extensive network by setting up 15 different shell companies to conceal and launder their illegal activities. Examinations of these companies revealed that modern methods such as 'gold accounts' and cryptocurrency transactions were used to make betting revenues invisible. A deep analysis of the organization's financial traffic determined that 6 billion 657 million 746 thousand 26 TL was transferred to suspicious accounts within a period of approximately 3 months.

In the operations conducted on June 30, 2026, carried out effectively like a raid, 119 suspects, including the ringleaders, were caught and detained. During searches at the residences and workplaces of the suspects, a significant amount of digital material, documents, and computers—constituting criminal evidence—were seized for examination. The searches uncovered not only financial evidence but also weapons revealing the coercive and violent potential of the organization.

Important findings regarding the armed structure of the criminal organization were also reached during the searches; specifically, 2 pistols and 108 cartridges were seized. Necessary judicial proceedings were initiated regarding the seized weapons and ammunition, and these findings showed that the organization kept a threat of violence ready to sustain its criminal activities. The aim was to break the economic power of the organization by seizing the identified 6.6 billion TL money flow and assets.

As of July 3, 2026, upon the completion of investigation procedures, the judicial process reached its final stage, and detention requests were evaluated before the judgeship. In light of interrogations and evidence, the majority of the suspects were arrested and handed over to penal institutions, while a small minority were released with judicial control conditions. This operation went down in history as one of the largest and most comprehensive investigations ever conducted in the field of digital and financial crimes in Turkey.