Turkey’s Erdogan-led government has started worldwide probes against unlawful enterprises in gaming and banking. Turkey has issued its most broad indictment for criminal charges for illegal gambling.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment this week against 57 people, seeking prison sentences of between six and 39 years for crimes. They include setting up a criminal organization, laundering the proceeds of crime and supporting unlawful gaming aimed at Turkish consumers.
The prosecution is predicated on allegations that Malta-based Fincrypto UAB (Paymix) supplied payment processing and cryptocurrency infrastructure that enabled illegal betting operators to transfer and hide proceeds of crime. The network is said by prosecutors to have handled some TRY210bn (€4.5bn) in betting transactions, with criminal proceeds said to have passed through payment institutions before being transformed into crypto assets.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) spearheaded the investigation and details what prosecutors call a complex cross-border operation across Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Malta, Albania and Dubai.
Fight at Turkish Borders
The indictment said detectives found 56 illegal betting platforms, almost 14 million registered betting accounts, databases holding details linked to three million Turkish identity numbers and eight million mobile phone numbers. The authorities also described an enormous technical infrastructure with more than 500 real and virtual servers, 800 VPN accounts, 600 remote desktop devices and dozens of management systems used to handle betting operations, customer accounts and payment flows.
Burak Başel, the founder of Basel Holding, is said by prosecutors to have run the organization, which had effective control of Paymix through his shareholdings, as well as interests in companies involved in betting software and payment services. The indictment further says that bitcoin was used systematically to conceal the source of proceeds of crime before the cash were sent to overseas wallets.
The case is part of a bigger strategic objective under Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, whose ministry has beefed up Turkey’s criminal enforcement framework against illegal gaming. Recent reforms have extended investigative authorities, improved communication among prosecutors, financial regulators and cybercrime units, and provided stronger sanctions for offenses related to unlawful gambling and organized financial crime.
The authorities’ approach has also focused attention on the trial of fintech entrepreneur Ahmet Faruk Karslı, creator of Turkish neobank and digital wallet Papara, in a separate but widely followed case. Prosecutors said Papara's infrastructure was used to enable around TRY12bn (more over €250m) of transactions related to unlawful gaming through some 280 "mule" bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. Turkey’s banking and fintech sectors are following the case with keen interest as regulators are increasing their focus on the responsibility of payment providers to detect and prevent illicit financial activities.
Since February, MASAK has taken on a more prominent role as the main supervisory body for financial activities in higher-risk areas such as gambling, lending and insurance. There are tougher reporting requirements for financial institutions, stricter customer due diligence and closer inspection of payment patterns that may suggest organized criminal activity.
Erodgan wants results by the end of 2026
Beyond domestic enforcement, Ankara has stepped up efforts to go after the international avenues that handle cash tied to gaming.
Justice Minister Gürlek and MASAK have advised President Erdoğan and the AKP government to tighten the controls on Turkey’s financial infrastructure and plug the gaps allowing bank transfers to jurisdictions linked to offshore gambling companies.
MASAK has listed Malta, Cyprus, Armenia, North Macedonia and Georgia as countries requiring further investigation, saying that payment channels linked to these markets have been used by criminal networks targeting Turkish customers in some circumstances. The government’s review would reportedly examine correspondent banking connections, supervision of payment institutions and cryptocurrency transfers as part of a broader plan to improve financial controls.
Senior AKP officials are scheduled to provide President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a year-end assessment of how state agencies have prioritized efforts to eradicate illegal gaming by the end of 2026.
The project has been incorporated into the administration’s law enforcement agenda, in line with Erdoğan’s long-standing emphasis on defending “the well-being of Turkish families and the nation’s youth.” …
All Turkish state agencies will be a crucial part of his important mission to win his fourth Presidential Election in which the President is expected to make significant progress.
