Turkey proposes a comprehensive ban on lottery advertising, with a focus on combating illegal gambling networks and related scandals

According to the Turkish National News Agency, the Government of Turkey is working on a large-scale campaign aimed at combating illegal online gambling, online platforms and the inside-of-the-scenes gambling scandal, and is planning to ban most of the country ‘ s lottery advertisements.

The Government of Turkey is finalizing a bill to extend existing restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising to gambling and gambling, covering television, radio, outdoor media and digital channels. If the bill is passed, a general ban will be imposed on lottery advertising, rather than simply tightening its content, which is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days. According to the official authorities, the primary objective of this initiative is to reduce the exposure of adolescents and young people to games. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Family and Social Services were participating in the drafting of the text, and new powers were being proposed to block access to the lottery platform and restrict minors from using payment instruments such as wallets. Private casinos were banned in Turkey in 1998, non-State online casinos were banned in 2006, and State lottery tickets and the Turkish Sports Lottery Superintendency remain the only legal options. Unlicensed operators, however, attract a wide range of users through Internet channels, Internet Red Outreach, football sponsorship and active social media activities.

The Ministry of Finance disclosed in January that the National Lottery Authority had blocked more than 540,000 illegal gambling and gambling sites in 2024, a significant increase from the previous year ‘ s 168,000. The Minister of Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, has stated that the Government “is determined to prevent unregistered economic activity and financial crime and to avoid tax losses and citizen victimization” and will continue to take measures to curb illegal gambling, virtual gambling and unauthorized lottery activities. However, the embargo measures have had limited effectiveness in containing demand. A large number of websites quickly re-linked by changing domain names or using offshore hosting services, prompting regulators to shift their focus to combating advertising and payment infrastructure for illegal operators. In the field of football, the inside-out lottery case has become an important front. In November, the Chief Prosecutor of Istanbul, Akün Gürlek, stated that the Prosecutor was expanding the lottery investigation into contest officials and members of the club, warning that “where there is a case, we will be held accountable and the club president and the executive will be included in the investigation”. In the fall of this year, the Turkish Football Association has banned 149 judges and assistant judges, and the survey shows that hundreds of competition officials hold lottery accounts. A series of subsequent operations also resulted in the arrest of a president of a top-level club who was involved in gambling, as well as the suspension of more players and the suspension of parts of the second and third round.

On the other hand, the red economy has become a focus. The Supervisory Authority has launched an investigation into a number of artists, singers and social media celebrities, accusing them of promoting unauthorized content in live broadcasts and sponsorships. According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the provisions under preparation would prohibit any direct or indirect promotion of lottery services, including sponsorship, brand content and union links. The draft also proposes to authorize the Advertising Committee under the Ministry of Trade to carry out rapid disposal of the media and platforms that publish lottery promotions and repeat offenders or will be forced to cease operations. Government sources stressed that this was based on public health considerations rather than on moral judgements. Officials also expressed concern about the gambling of young people on mobile applications and social platforms, owing to weak age-validation tools and the hidden channels for paying in advance cards or in encrypted currency. Advocates warned that children as young as 9 years old were even able to access online games through the Internet, red and underground.