Türkiye's Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced via his X account that penalties for illegal betting and games of chance will be significantly increased through new regulations set to be included in the upcoming 11th Judicial Package.

'Illegal Betting, Games of Chance, and Virtual Gambling Becoming a Threat'

Minister Tunç stated, “Illegal betting, games of chance, and virtual gambling are becoming a significant threat, particularly through their proliferation in digital environments, undermining family integrity, targeting our youth, and posing a risk to public order. With the Circular dated October 31, 2025, published under the signature of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our state’s resolute will to combat this threat with all its resources has been demonstrated. The 'Action Plan for Combating Illegal Betting, Games of Chance, and Gambling in Virtual Environments,' prepared within this scope, aims to detect the source of the crime, enable rapid intervention, sever financial and digital infrastructure, prevent criminal proceeds, and protect our citizens. In the fight against these crimes, the responsibilities of public institutions have also been defined, based on strengthening the legal and administrative infrastructure, activating inspection and sanction mechanisms, and increasing inter-institutional coordination.”

Measures Detailed

Tunç elaborated on the concrete steps taken by the Ministry of Justice to prevent crimes committed via information systems, stating: “With the regulations accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Justice Commission within the 11th Judicial Package, suspicious bank and financial accounts involved in crimes committed using information systems can be suspended for up to 48 hours. In these crimes, assets subject to the offense can be immediately seized without the report requirement stipulated in Article 128 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and if the seized amount is determined to belong to a victim, it will be directly returned to the rightful owner. To prevent delays in investigations, banks and financial institutions will be obliged to send requested information and documents by public prosecutors, judges, or courts within 10 days. To prevent accounts used in illegal betting and fraud, it will not be possible to open accounts at electronic payment institutions without biometric verification or chip-enabled IDs. To ensure strict control over GSM lines, line subscriptions can only be made with electronic identity verification, the number of lines that can be opened per person will be limited by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), lines belonging to deceased individuals or dissolved legal entities will be closed through periodic checks, and special number allocation will be applied to foreign nationals.”

Legislative Work Initiated to Increase Penalties

Emphasizing the increase in penalties, Tunç added, “Legislative work has been initiated to increase penalties by re-evaluating gambling crimes in the Turkish Penal Code, special provisions regarding illegal betting and games of chance, and sanctions in the Misdemeanors Law. Within this framework, regulations will further stiffen penalties for illegal betting and gambling crimes committed in an organized manner or targeting children. We will continue to take resolute and strong steps against this threat, which drags people into a spiral of debt and irreversibly darkens lives, and we will stand firm against every structure that threatens our social peace.”