Turkish prosecutors have issued detention warrants for 72 people in an illegal betting investigation based in the southern province of Antalya after identifying 3.4 billion lira (approximately $77.5 million) in transactions in suspects’ bank accounts, the state-run TRT Haber reported Tuesday.
The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the investigation, carried out by the cybercrime unit of the provincial police department.
The suspects are accused of violating the law that regulates betting and games of chance in football and other sports competitions.
Police said technical and physical surveillance led to the identification of three separate offices in Antalya allegedly used to run illegal betting operations.
As the investigation expanded, cybercrime teams determined that 56 suspects in Antalya and 16 others in seven other provinces were linked to the network, bringing the total number of suspects to 72.
A review of their bank accounts found a transaction volume totaling 3.4 billion lira, authorities said.
Acting on instructions from the prosecutor’s office, police launched simultaneous raids at addresses in eight provinces based in Antalya in an effort to detain the suspects.
Searches at the identified addresses and detention procedures were ongoing at the time of reporting, officials said.
The latest operation comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal gambling networks in Turkey, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle online betting operations and their financial backbones.
In recent months prosecutors have targeted payment platforms, electronic money companies and cryptocurrency channels accused of facilitating illegal betting transactions, while regulators have moved to suspend or revoke the licenses of companies linked to money laundering.
Gambling remains tightly restricted in Turkey. Casinos were banned in 1998, and non-state online gambling was outlawed in 2006, though state-run lottery and betting services remain legal.
Turkish authorities say such activities fuel addiction and drain billions of lira from the economy.