The background of illegal betting: How does the system work?

Following the detention and, in some cases, the arrest of famous individuals, including Mehmet Ali Erbil and Serdar Ortaç, eyes have turned to illegal betting and gambling sites.

Experts from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) have prepared a report on the system.

T24 columnist Tolga Şardan wrote about the details of the report. It is stated that the amount of money laundering obtained from illegal betting and gambling in Istanbul alone is 400 billion liras.

It is noted that those who facilitate betting find accounts for depositing money through students, unemployed individuals, or third parties who are not registered taxpayers, and make monthly payments to use these accounts. According to the report, the system works as follows:

“A person who wants to engage in illegal betting in a virtual environment first becomes a member of an illegal betting website accessed via the internet.''

When the money transfer option is selected, the individual transfers the money they will use for betting to 'bank accounts belonging to third parties that are only shown to members of this website.'

In order to prevent these transfers sent to the accounts of third parties from being linked to illegal betting, the organizers of illegal betting in the virtual environment place warning notices on their web pages, and through these notices, they warn those who bet not to use expressions that suggest betting, such as 'bet, betting, etc.,' when transferring money to the accounts in question.

These accounts, which are used to mediate the deposit of money for illegal betting activities, generally receive money transfers from many different people in many different cities through non-face-to-face methods such as ATM deposits, internet banking, and mobile banking.

Similarly, money is transferred from these accounts to the accounts of many different people in many different cities who have won money as a result of illegal betting activities.

In illegal betting activities, electronic money can be purchased by players to facilitate money transfers, and sometimes payment institution accounts can be used to mediate the betting.

The amounts accumulated in the accounts of these third parties, who act as intermediaries in illegal betting activities, are sometimes transferred to higher-level accounts, but are generally withdrawn as cash.