Illegal gambling market in Turkey estimated to be worth up to $60bn

• Turkey’s Vice President revealed that the size of the illegal gambling sector is an estimated $20bn to $60bn
• The country continues the crackdown on illegal gambling, money laundering and related crimes
• Cevdet Yılmaz, the Turkish Vice President, speaks about the country’s recent progress in the fight against criminal betting syndicates

Turkey has a problem with illegal gambling and it’s huge.

That became clear from a recent interview by the Turkish Vice President, who warned that the illegal betting market in the country is valued between $20bn and $60bn.

The unlicensed, unregulated gambling sector in Turkey is worth tens of billions of dollars

Illegal gambling isn’t an issue only because the activity puts consumers at risk and results in tax revenue losses.

Oftentimes, illegal betting syndicates are tied to other criminal activities such as money laundering, match-fixing and even violent crimes.

In this context, Turkey was added to the Financial Action Task Force’s "grey list" in 2021, with inefficient anti-money laundering practices cited as one issue.

Several years later, in 2024, the country was removed from the "grey list," while the Financial Action Task Force highlighted the country’s continuous efforts and progress in combatting money laundering and other crimes.

Over the last two years, Turkish authorities have conducted a series of operations against illegal gambling and betting syndicates, while continuing the fight against money laundering, too.

Despite those efforts, the sheer size of the illegal betting vertical is massive, Cevdet Yılmaz, the Turkish Vice President, reveals.

As announced by the local media outlet, Anadolu news agency, Yılmaz revealed that the size of the illegal gambling market in the country may be in the realm of $20bn to $60bn.

The illegal gambling sector lacks any form of protection

The announcement of the Turkish Vice President comes at a time when the country has intensified the fight against illegal gambling in recent months.

Earlier this month, Turkey executed the third and final phase of a massive anti-money laundering and illegal gambling operation.

In the context of the dangers of illegal betting, Yılmaz acknowledged: "These structures can be associated with many different risk areas, such as money laundering, financing of terrorism and organized crime," as quoted by Turkish Minute.

At the same time, the Turkish Vice President warned that illegal gambling operators are not controlled by any regulatory framework, adding that there is "no age limit, income control or protective framework."

Despite the size of the illegal betting vertical, Yılmaz praised the progress Turkey has made recently, saying: "We can see the ground that significant progress has recently been made in the fight against illegal betting."

He further said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has given instructions about a far-reaching plan that seeks to continue the crackdown on illegal gambling and money laundering.

In addition to collaborating with international agencies, the local government is actively engaging with banks and other financial institutions in the fight against illegal gambling while raising awareness of the dangers of such activities.

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