Illegal betting ads appear on screens during Turkey-Iceland soccer match

Duvar English

In a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League B match, where the Turkish National Soccer Team played with Iceland on Oct. 14, advertisements for an illegal betting site were displayed on the pitchside boards at Laugardalsvöllur Stadium in Iceland’s capital Reykjavík.

During the most part of the game, which Turkey won 2-4, advertisements of the illegal betting site Meritking were projected on the led screens next to the pitch.

After the footage began to be circulated on social media, Alp Özgen, the commentator of the television channel TV8 that broadcasted the game, said, “All the decision regarding the billboards on the sidelines lies with the Icelandic Football Federation. Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and TV8 have nothing to do with this issue.”

Turkish media mogul Acun Ilıcalı, the owner of the channel, also made a statement on his X account regarding the criticisms, “Let me give a concrete answer about the billboards; the LED screens belong to the Icelandic Federation, they have nothing to do with us. To those who deliberately manipulate this, we did not make any deal.”

Meritking.news, the “news platform” of the illegal betting platform, had previously been a shirt sponsor of Turkish team Galatasaray. When the situation was revealed, the club announced that it had suspended the advertising deal.    

The website was reportedly owned by illegal betting personality Fedlan Kılıçaslan and has also placed advertisements on taxis in Istanbul.

In 2021, during a soccer game broadcast on TV8, 21 different illegal betting sites were advertised for 26 minutes and the channel was fined by both the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and the Advertising Board of the Trade Ministry for encouraging gambling.