Turkey freezes 1,200 bank accounts in illegal betting probe ahead of İstanbul derby

Turkish prosecutors have seized 1,200 bank accounts and secured court orders blocking nearly 98,000 websites in an operation targeting illegal betting before the Beşiktaş-Fenerbahçe İstanbul derby. For PSPs and acquirers, the mechanics matter: the case shows how quickly authorities move from website takedowns to bank-account freezes and payment-route tracing.

1. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the goal was to cut off payments to illegal betting sites before the match. The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office coordinated the investigation, and the provincial gendarmerie’s cybercrime unit carried it out.
2. Investigators identified 345 illegal betting sites, 110 payment methods and 1,200 bank account numbers, plus nearly 98,000 websites linked to illegal betting, according to Gürlek. A court ordered the websites blocked.
3. The 1,200 accounts belonged to 1,048 people and companies and were allegedly used to process illegal bets and launder criminal proceeds. Gürlek said those involved were under investigation for money laundering and violations of Turkey’s sports betting law.
4. This was not a one-off sweep. In July, prosecutors moved to freeze 6,314 bank accounts allegedly used for illegal betting as the 2026 FIFA World Cup final began. Investigators then identified 19 suspected payment-processing centers and detained 16 people.
5. Turkey’s betting market is tightly restricted: only state-authorized betting and lottery activities are permitted. Investigators said illegal networks increasingly rely on online platforms, payment intermediaries, bank accounts registered to third parties and cryptocurrency transfers.

There is also a wider football-side investigation running since 2025. The Turkish Football Federation disclosed that 371 of the 571 referees working in professional leagues had betting accounts and 152 had placed bets; the probe later expanded to players, club executives and other officials.