Turkish police have detained 108 people in simultaneous raids across 35 provinces as part of an İstanbul-based investigation into an illegal betting and gambling network, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
The operation was carried out by cybercrime units of the İstanbul Police Department under the coordination of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and targeted people suspected of violating Turkey’s law on betting and games of chance in football and other sports competitions.
The suspects were identified through the use of artificial intelligence-supported programs, part of an investigation into illegal online betting and gambling activities.
Police seized a large amount of digital material allegedly used in the offenses during searches conducted as part of the operation.
The detainees were taken to police units for questioning.
Siber Suçlarla Mücadele Şube Müdürlüğümüzce yapay zeka destekli programlar kullanılarak ⬇️
5151 ayrı URL adresinden yasa dışı bahis ve kumar faaliyetleri yürütüldüğü tespit edildi.
İstanbul merkezli 35 ilde düzenlenen eş zamanlı operasyonda;
1️⃣0️⃣8️⃣ şüpheli şahıs yakalandı.… pic.twitter.com/Gnoap73g85
— İstanbul Emniyet Müdürlüğü (@istanbul_EGM) May 12, 2026
Anadolu said police also blocked access to 5,000 websites found to be involved in illegal online betting and gambling, 111 websites that advertised those platforms and redirected mobile users to them and 40 websites allegedly used to facilitate payment transactions.
The total number of websites blocked in the operation was 5,151.
The İstanbul Police Department’s AI-supported Open-Source Intelligence Analysis System, known as AVCI, played an active role in the investigation, according to Anadolu.
Before the raids police analyzed 600,000 messages from various groups with the help of AVCI, enabling investigators to identify suspects’ profiles, addresses and alleged activities.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said in a post on X on Tuesday that the operation had dismantled “another dirty network in the virtual world.”
İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığımızın koordinesinde; yasa dışı bahis ve kumar oynatan ve bu yolla suç geliri elde eden şebekelere karşı yapay zekâ destekli programlar kullanılarak İstanbul merkezli 35 ilimizde kapsamlı bir operasyon gerçekleştirilmiştir.
Operasyon kapsamında 108…
— Akın Gürlek (@abakingurlek) May 12, 2026
“Under the coordination of our İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a comprehensive operation was carried out in 35 provinces based in İstanbul against networks that organized illegal betting and gambling and obtained criminal proceeds through these activities, using artificial intelligence-supported programs,” Gürlek said.
Turkey has stepped up financial crime investigations in recent years after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-money laundering watchdog, put the country on its “grey list” in 2021 over deficiencies in its framework for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
Turkey was removed from the list in June 2024 after the FATF said Ankara had made “significant progress” in improving its anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing framework.
Since then Turkish authorities have expanded investigations into illegal betting networks, cryptocurrency transfers and payment companies as regulators seek to prevent illicit funds from moving through the financial system.
According to a 2025 activity report published by Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), authorities completed 502 analysis files related to illegal betting activities and sent 545 intelligence reports and information notes to relevant institutions.
The agency said transactions worth 5.1 billion lira ($131 million) linked to accounts allegedly used by illegal betting organizers were suspended as part of anti-money laundering measures.
Europol said in its EU Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment 2025 that online platforms, digital payment systems and cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organized crime networks for fraud and money laundering operations across borders.
The agency warned that financial crimes and cybercrime are becoming increasingly interconnected as criminal groups rely more heavily on cross-border digital payment systems, shell companies and cryptocurrency transactions to move illicit funds.