Turkish banks send consumer warnings on illegal gambling risks

• Major Turkish banks, including Ziraat Bankası, Türkiye İş Bankası, and Garanti BBVA, have issued notices to customers about illegal gambling risks.
• Warnings form part of Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç’s Action Plan to eradicate illicit gambling by the 2026 general election.
• Banks must block suspicious payments and provide account details to law enforcement within 10 days.

Major Turkish banks have started sending direct notices to customers about the risks of engaging with unlicensed gambling websites or facilitating transactions on their behalf.

The warnings highlight new legal consequences for accounts involved in illegal gambling activities.

Ziraat Bankası, Türkiye İş Bankası and Garanti BBVA began sending the messages to customers before the New Year, as part of Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç’s Action Plan to tackle illegal gambling proliferation.

The measure forms part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s pledge to eradicate illicit gambling by the next general election. Sample messages from banks warned customers that accounts are for personal use only.

Ziraat Bank’s notice stated:

“Dear customer, under no circumstances should you allow third parties to use your accounts. Using your account in this way may facilitate illegal gambling, fraud, laundering of criminal proceeds, or financing of terrorism and may lead to legal consequences. For your information, we wish you a healthy day.”

ICBC Bank’s message read:

“Your bank account must only be used by you. Do not allow third parties to use your account. Under the law on the Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime, individuals who allow others to use their accounts may face criminal penalties.”

Expanded prosecutorial powers take effect

The bank notifications followed the Ministry of Justice’s approval of the 11th Judicial Package on 15 December. This major legal overhaul expands prosecutors’ authority to seize assets, suspend operations and pursue cases tied to financial crimes and illegal gambling transactions.

Changes to Turkey’s Penal Code increase prison terms and financial penalties for individuals and organised groups caught up in these activities. The reforms are designed to enable the judiciary to act more swiftly on cases involving illegal gambling and financial crimes.

Yılmaz Tunç, Justice Minister, said:

“Illegal betting and online gambling are not only crimes, but also channels that finance organised crime and cause serious social harm.”

Banks face compliance obligations

As banks continue sending warning messages to customers, they must also proactively block payments and transfers to and from illegal gambling companies, flagging them to relevant authorities.

The measures extend to mobile payment applications and digital wallet providers, bringing fintech platforms under the same compliance framework.

Financial institutions are required to provide full details about specific accounts singled out by law enforcement within 10 days, enabling investigators to detect and prosecute offenders quickly.

Banks must document the origin of funds and stated purpose for transactions above 200,000 Turkish lira (±€4,000), with generic explanations no longer accepted.

Failure to comply triggers administrative fines or criminal charges against financial institutions themselves. Banks face broader asset freezes, and authorities can lock down bank or digital payment accounts for up to 48 hours during investigations.

Participants and intermediaries in illegal gambling face increased fines and asset confiscations. Proceeds of crime can be seized immediately without prior reporting, and returned to victims where ownership is proven.

Organisers of illegal gambling networks face longer prison sentences, with enhanced penalties for crimes involving minors or cross-border coordination.

Tunç stated the reforms were designed to “identify illegal activity at its source, follow the money and intervene before criminal proceeds are concealed or transferred abroad”.

He emphasised that illegal betting “is a coordinated, organised activity that takes advantage of our youth, destroys families and transfers money abroad”.

MASAK coordinates enforcement strategy

The enforcement effort is coordinated by MASAK, Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, which leads the action plan against illegal betting and money laundering.

MASAK has intensified scrutiny of bank transfers, payment intermediaries and digital wallets, working closely with prosecutors and the Ministry of Interior.

Good financial intelligence is one of the essential pillars of the plan, allowing Turkey to focus on harmful transactions and operations. The enforcement comes after a headline case saw authorities detain 13 suspects including the owner of Papara, one of the country’s largest fintech payment companies.

The company was accused of processing transactions tied to illegal betting networks through more than 26,000 accounts, handling roughly 12.8 billion Turkish lira (approximately $300 million) in suspected illicit flows.

International cooperation planned

Tunç has made clear the government intends to amend or introduce legislation where necessary to strengthen enforcement against illegal gambling and related financial crime.

The Ministry of Justice has reaffirmed its full backing of President Erdoğan’s pledge to eradicate illegal gambling “by whatever means necessary”.

The next phase will involve international cooperation and cross-border enforcement. Turkey has warned countries that continue to shelter or licence gambling operators targeting Turkish citizens that they could face diplomatic and economic retaliation.

Authorities have signalled increased scrutiny of jurisdictions accused of hosting or enabling operators targeting Turkish consumers illegally, naming Cyprus, Georgia, North Macedonia and Armenia as priority states.

The government framed offshore hubs as enabling networks that harm Turkish families and social cohesion.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated a policy of zero tolerance towards illegal gambling, warning that enforcement intensity will be escalated in 2026. The President stated during a recent cabinet session:

“We cannot live with a shadow economy built on human weakness. Every lira lost to illegal gambling is a lira stolen from our nation’s future.”

The crackdown forms part of the President’s pledge to eradicate illegal gambling by the next general election. The government has ordered all state agencies to cooperate in enforcement, with agencies warned they will be held accountable for any failure to act.

Milli Piyango, the state lottery, has submitted a detailed report to MASAK identifying 239,000 domains in direct violation of Turkish gambling laws. The scale of illegal operations underscores the challenge facing authorities.

Sports corruption probe continues

Turkey has also been addressing corruption in sports. At least 20 suspects were arrested in early December, tied to a large-scale corruption probe into the country’s top-flight and secondary football leagues.

The operation underscores the government’s commitment to cleaning up both illegal gambling and sports-related corruption across multiple enforcement fronts.