Rising use of illegal online gambling sites in Turkey wreaks havoc on young people's lives

Kadir Cesur & Selim Üzüm / Gazete Duvar

"I never even touched a cigarette until I was 25, but now I'm into gambling, crypto, the stock market, you name it," they began and continued, "When cryptocurrencies first came out, I was working in a shoe store. I was already earning next to nothing, and I invested it all in crypto. Then I tried the stock market, but that didn't work out either. Finally, I started gambling. People call my father 'haji'. He is a very devout person. I'm ashamed to be the son of someone like him. I've been gambling for four years. Whatever I have won, I have lost fifty times more."

These words belong to a 29-year-old who currently works at a private company for less than minimum wage, spending more than half of his earnings on illegal gambling sites, and who, saying he is "ashamed," wishes to remain anonymous. 

However, there are thousands more, mostly young people, whose stories, though their words may differ, are essentially the same.

Illegal gambling and betting sites are an increasing and deepening problem in Turkey. “Virtual casinos,” which have been played over the Internet and are therefore easy to access, cause addiction and threaten the security of personal data.

Although it is a criminal offense in Turkey to engage in gambling or provide a place to play, many illegal gambling sites have been easily accessed.

According to IT Specialist Bilgin Berge, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) regularly audits and blocks these sites, yet often these access bans have not been sufficient. 

Indeed, those seeking to access these sites can use VPNs to change their virtual locations, accessing these sites as if they were in a different country. Moreover, the servers of these sites are mostly located in Northern Cyprus, making direct physical intervention into the servers impossible.

Berge highlighted the danger of sharing personal data with illegal sites, "We are willingly handing over our personal information to the other party. Now, this application can easily access our private lives; it can activate our camera and microphone without our knowledge. It can even access our keyboard. An application that can access the keyboard could potentially obtain our banking passwords.”

Students, motorcycle couriers exploited in gambling schemes 

Has illegal gambling been fought effectively in Turkey? Mustafa Böğürcü, a former Organized Crime Branch executive, drew attention to the fact that many university students allowed illegal gambling sites to use their bank accounts and some motorcycle couriers have been employed in the shipment of money.

“The most important way to combat this is to uncover the money traffic. Former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu conducted a major operation which he called 'the largest operation in the history of the Republic.' However, everyone was acquitted six months later and regained their assets. With such a method, neither gambling can be prevented nor can the struggle be fought against it,” Böğürcü stated.

Böğürcü pointed out that especially young people have been trying to earn income by playing online gambling. He also said that behind many police suicides, there was a gambling addiction.

"Some police officers, gendarmes, and even officials working in the prosecutor's office are using these sites. You will see that many police suicides are rooted in their involvement in illegal gambling, or in their habit of enriching themselves through digital assets to leave their profession as soon as possible,” Böğürcü noted.

According to Ali Kemal Erdem's news article dated October 12, 2022, from the online news outlet Independent Türkçe, the General Directorate of Security reported that among the reasons for police suicides, “economic reasons” ranked first. It was mentioned in parentheses without further detail that this category included “cryptocurrency, online betting, or betting.”

Gambling was banned in Turkey in 1996, yet it took about a year for the decision to be implemented. The famous operators of that period opened new casinos in other countries, especially in Northern Cyprus. 

Journalist Cengiz Erdinç, known for his books on drug trafficking, mafia, and corruption in Turkey, stated, "Gambling is legal in Cyprus, and they easily granted licenses to these online betting sites."

Erdinç stated that Cyprus has been one of the highest points in the world in terms of gambling addiction relative to its population and added, "I have seen betting offices even in remote villages of Cyprus. They have spread everywhere because there is an infrastructure there related to both money laundering and gambling."

Erdinç also underscored that gambling money has been used in drug trafficking as well.

Economic difficulties lead to gambling

There are many economic, sociological, and psychological reasons behind the spread of virtual betting and gambling. Emphasizing that effective studies should be carried out to prevent gambling addiction, Clinical Psychologist Hüseyin Erol said that especially virtual gambling addiction increases more in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40.

According to Erol, the sole cause of gambling addiction could not be just the sensation of “pleasure;” the desire to earn money driven by economic difficulties has been also a major factor pushing people towards gambling. 

He stated, "Poor economic conditions experienced by individuals and their insufficient personal efforts to improve these conditions drive them to seek different avenues. Virtual gambling, especially, has very attractive aspects for individuals with limited economic means.”

Erol stated that offering a certain amount of free balance to first-time registrants has been very appealing to people in adverse economic conditions.

“Initially, they believe that the winnings they obtain from there will solve their economic problems. However, the time and money spent on gambling only increase over time. Eventually, they find themselves in a deadlock. With their already struggling economic conditions compounded by this problem, serious mental health issues begin to arise.”

In societies with poor economic situations, drug and gambling addictions tended to increase, Erol stated.