The directive was issued by Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, who stated to the national media, “Turkey faces a great battle against illegal betting and gambling sites.”
Reporting to Şimşek and the Treasury, the National Lottery Administration (MPİ) of Turkey detailed that, in 2023 and 2024, it had blocked 233,000 websites.
In its findings, the MPİ reported that, of the 233,000 websites blocked in the past two years, 56% of infringing portals originated from the USA, with a further 17% traced to neighboring Armenia. Another 6% were reported to come from the Netherlands.
The MPİ’s findings have been forwarded to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Cybercrime Department for further investigation. Authorities are preparing legal actions against the owners of 376,000 websites and more t..