Murat Ağırel explains the illegal betting system: Here are the money laundering methods of betting barons...

It has been revealed that illegal betting organizations launder the income they generate through various methods.

In his statement on Fatih Altaylı's program, journalist Murat Ağırel said that these organizations use many different methods to legitimize the income they obtain through illegal means.

WHEN DID ILLEGAL BETTING FIRST EMERGE?

Journalist Murat Ağırel explained in detail how illegal betting organizations are structured in Turkey and how they launder the income they generate. Stating that the system, which began in 2001 and came to the agenda with the "Game Over" operation, was uncovered through tips from Germany, Ağırel stated that this structure has also spread to Turkey.

HOW DOES THE MONEY FLOW MECHANISM WORK?

According to Ağırel, illegal betting sites generated millions of dollars in revenue through virtual gambling. In the first stage, users purchased tokens via prepaid cards. To give this system a veneer of legality, some sites claimed they were "selling statues." However, it was determined that what was actually being sold were gambling tokens.

Stating that the vast majority of the money obtained from illegal betting was withdrawn via ATMs, Ağırel emphasized that the money was transferred to personal accounts and that most of these accounts were rented. Through these rented accounts, the money changed hands multiple times before finally reaching a real person. The money that passed to the real person was then laundered by being introduced into the system through real estate and luxury consumption expenditures.

MONEY LAUNDERING THROUGH REAL ESTATE

Murat Ağırel stated that one of the methods most frequently resorted to by illegal betting organizations is real estate investment. In this context, he said that an individual named Hakan Canbay laundered the money he obtained through illegal betting through a construction company named NEF.

Ağırel stated that he spoke with Erden Timur, the owner of NEF Merter, regarding the matter. Timur said that the purchases in question were not made in the form of large apartments, but as parts of 1+1, 2+1, and 3+1 apartments. He stated that because nearly 1,000 apartment sales were made at that time, detailed tracking of individual buyers could not be carried out. Stating that they became aware of the situation after the police investigation, Timur said they did not know that the people connected to illegal betting were buying apartments.

Ağırel stated that he discovered an individual named Veysel Şahin had purchased 24 apartments through this system. He stated that illegal betting barons legitimized the income they obtained by disposing of these apartments they had purchased.

CRYPTO AND LUXURY EXPENDITURES

Stating that illegal betting gangs do not limit their money laundering methods to the real estate sector, Ağırel reported that luxury vehicle purchases also hold an important place in the system. Money obtained through illegal means is first converted into luxury vehicles and then invested in crypto assets. Through transactions made via crypto exchanges, the money is transferred to cold wallets and the trail is completely lost.

BEAUTY SALONS AND FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIPS

Ağırel stated that small businesses such as beauty salons are also used in laundering illegal betting income. In addition, he stated that illegal betting companies try to gain legitimacy through sponsorship agreements made with some sports clubs.

At this point, he brought up the allegation that the Hull City club, owned by Acun Ilıcalı, had a sponsor connected to the illegal betting sector. It was stated that a company named Jeton Valet was a sponsor of Hull City and that advertisements for this company were made by Ozan Tufan.

Ağırel also recounted his meeting with Acun Ilıcalı. He stated that Ilıcalı first said he was unaware of this sponsor, but later said he learned that the company was indeed a sponsor of Hull City. Ilıcalı stated that he had no connection to illegal betting, that they did not need the money that betting companies would provide, and that they terminated the sponsorship when they heard about the issue. Ağırel also stated that an operation was conducted against Jeton Valet in 2019, while Hull City made the sponsorship agreement in 2022.

THEY ARE INFILTRATING FOOTBALL CLUBS

Murat Ağırel stated that illegal betting organizations are trying to infiltrate major football clubs in Turkey. He said that clubs such as Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor are seen as a gateway to legitimacy for illegal betting networks.

Stating that such organizations try to make themselves appear legal through large sponsorship agreements and football players, Ağırel noted that the infiltration of illegal betting income into the sports world poses a great danger.