76 Billion Lira Illegal Betting and Gambling Operation in İstanbul: 68 Detained

Teams from the İstanbul Police Department Cybercrime Division carried out a comprehensive operation targeting illegal betting and gambling activities. Conducted under the meticulous coordination of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, this operation was launched in line with a detailed analysis and assessment report prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board. Authorities closely examined high-volume money transfers made through electronic money institutions, tracing a significant financial crime network. As a result of technical surveillance and financial analyses, it was determined that the suspects transferred funds through various bank accounts. Concrete evidence was obtained indicating that these covert transactions were directly linked to illegal betting and gambling activities.

Upon examining the financial dimension of the case, it was revealed that the criminal organization in question had reached a massive scale. An in-depth review of banking transaction records revealed that a total of 100 thousand and 25 transactions were carried out on the accounts. It was determined that the total volume of these transactions amounted to exactly 76 billion 284 million 877 thousand 311 lira, confirming the sheer magnitude of the operation. Investigations showed that a large portion of this enormous sum was withdrawn from legitimate-looking banks and transferred to various crypto-asset service providers. Authorities also discovered that even in the money transfer descriptions, various phrases were used that could point to illegal betting sites and gambling activities.

In the operation, where highly complex methods were understood to have been used to conceal the scale of smuggling and financial crimes, cryptocurrencies played a central role. Investigations conducted by the teams revealed that the majority of the massive amounts transferred to crypto assets were directly converted into USDT, a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. Following the conversion process, it was determined that these digital assets were quickly transferred to various foreign and external wallets. The primary goal of this sophisticated method was assessed to be laundering the illicit proceeds from illegal betting. This process, which attempted to render justice and financial systems unassailable by using anonymized digital wallets, was dismantled through the diligent work of cybercrime teams.

During the legal process and the field execution phase of the operation, security forces followed a multifaceted strategy. Following months of technical and financial feasibility work, the teams clearly identified the identities and security addresses of the suspects. By planning a simultaneous and surprise raid on all identified addresses at the same time, the aim was to dismantle the criminal network. During these large-scale and simultaneous operations, extreme care was taken to prevent the suspects from fleeing or destroying evidence. As a result of the operation, the main perpetrators of the illegal betting network and 68 suspects acting as treasurers were successfully apprehended.

The 68 suspects taken into custody were transferred to the police department headquarters after completing their operational procedures. Following the taking of their statements, the suspects are expected to be referred to the courthouse and brought before a judge. This operation once again proved Türkiye's determination against the increasing financial fraud in the field of cybercrimes, particularly in illegal betting and gambling. Furthermore, authorities emphasized that similar audits and investigations will continue uninterruptedly in order to prevent the damages such crimes could inflict on the financial system and the economy. Since the case serves as a striking example of the abuse of digital currency to launder criminal proceeds, it is anticipated that regulations concerning cryptocurrency exchanges will be brought to the agenda more strictly in the upcoming period.