Turkish police have detained 86 suspects in simultaneous operations across 24 provinces as part of an İstanbul-based investigation into alleged match-fixing, illegal betting and money laundering through cryptocurrency accounts, Turkish media reported.
The operation was carried out by the İstanbul Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit under the coordination of the Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Police said the investigation focused on a criminal network allegedly coordinated by a suspect identified only by the initials İ.Ö.Ö. The network is accused of generating revenue from matches whose outcomes had allegedly been agreed in advance as well as from legal and illegal betting activities.
The proceeds were allegedly transferred through cryptocurrency wallets before being moved to other wallets whose users could not be identified, according to police.
Investigators also found that the network acted jointly with the owners of Kayalar Döviz, a foreign exchange and jewelry company operating in İstanbul’s Grand Bazaar, and used commercial entities as fronts, according to the reports.
Police said the group selected people between the ages of 20 and 30 who had no commercial activity or regular income in an effort to avoid scrutiny. Around 100,000 Turkish lira ($2,500) was allegedly sent to their bank accounts at regular intervals, and the accounts were then used as “pool accounts” for illegal betting.
An examination of the suspects’ financial transactions found that even the account with the lowest transaction volume had reached 90 million lira ($1.9 million). Police said the total transaction volume uncovered in the investigation amounted to 192 billion lira ($4.1 billion).
After completing their preliminary work, police launched simultaneous raids at locations in İstanbul and 23 other provinces.
As part of the investigation, prosecutors also ordered the seizure of 83 movable and immovable assets valued at 350 million lira ($7.5 million) that were believed to have been obtained through criminal activity. Bank accounts and cryptocurrency accounts belonging to the suspects were also frozen.
The operation comes amid an intensified government crackdown on illegal betting networks, which officials say have grown into a multibillion-dollar underground economy involving money laundering, cryptocurrency transfers and organized crime.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said in May that Turkey’s illegal betting market could be worth between $20 billion and $60 billion, although he added that the exact size was difficult to determine because the sector operates outside the legal system.
Yılmaz said the government had prepared a comprehensive action plan on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, covering criminal investigations, financial tracking, international cooperation, digital monitoring and public awareness campaigns. He said Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and other state institutions had begun using new tools, including artificial intelligence-supported inspection systems, in the fight against illegal betting.
Turkish authorities have carried out hundreds of detentions and arrests in illegal betting investigations in recent months, targeting suspects in sectors including finance, media and football. In one high-profile case in May, an Adana court ordered the arrest of 135 suspects, including journalist and television commentator Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı, on charges of illegal betting and money laundering.
Illegal betting investigations have also reached Turkish football. In a separate betting scandal late last year, prosecutors issued detention warrants for referees, players and club officials, while the Turkish Football Federation suspended large numbers of referees and players over alleged betting activity.