• Turkey’s Vice President, Cevdet Yılmaz, has publicly acknowledged that the government has a significant “blind spot” regarding the scale of gambling harm, driven by a rampant illegal market.
• The admission comes amid growing political pressure and accusations from opposition leaders that any serious investigation into the illicit sector would implicate figures connected to the ruling AK Party.
• A recent major scandal involving fintech firm Papara, alleged to have processed over €340 million in illicit betting transactions, has intensified scrutiny of the government’s inaction.
• Despite successes in other areas of addiction policy, the government has been criticised for failing to address the vast and economically damaging online gambling black market.
• The government has now called for a national action plan, but skepticism remains over its willingness to tackle a problem with alleged links to powerful interests.

A senior member of the Turkish government has conceded that the state lacks a comprehensive understanding of the country’s gambling addiction problem, a challenge heavily fuelled by a pervasive illegal online betting market. The admission was made by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while addressing the annual meeting of the High Council for Combatting Addiction.

While highlighting the government’s progress in tackling other addictions such as drugs and smoking, Yılmaz acknowledged that gambling-particularly online-remains a “blind spot” that has not been effectively addressed by current policy frameworks. This high-level admission comes at a time of increasing political sensitivity around the issue.

A Flourishing Black Market and a Major Fintech Scandal

The scale of Turkey’s illegal gambling problem was cast into the spotlight in May with a major scandal involving one of the country’s leading fintech companies, Papara. Its CEO, Ahmed Faruk Karslı, faced corruption charges amid allegations that the platform had facilitated over 26,000 accounts for illegal betting transactions, worth an estimated ₺12.9 billion (approximately €340 million).

The Erdoğan government’s notable silence on the Papara scandal has fuelled speculation and criticism, particularly as it struggles with declining approval ratings. The case is seen by many as a clear example of the vast scale of the illicit market that operates with apparent impunity.

Opposition Alleges Links to Ruling Party

The government’s inaction has provided significant ammunition for its political opponents. Ali Babacan, a former senior minister in the ruling AK Party who now leads an opposition party, has publicly stated that any genuine investigation into the illegal gambling networks would inevitably implicate individuals and organisations with close ties to President Erdoğan’s inner circle.

This sentiment is echoed in other opposition circles, where there is deep skepticism about the government’s willingness to dismantle an illicit industry that some allege may even provide indirect financial benefits to connected parties.

A Call for Action or Political Theatre?

In response to the growing pressure, Vice President Yılmaz has issued a call for a new national action plan, urging federal police and intelligence agencies to tackle the illegal gambling industry with the same vigour used to dismantle drug networks.

However, given the context of the corruption allegations and the government’s previous inaction, critics question whether this is a genuine policy shift or simply political manoeuvring. The challenge for President Erdoğan’s administration is now one of credibility. It has publicly acknowledged a major policy failure at a time when it faces serious accusations of tolerating, if not benefiting from, the very problem it is now vowing to solve. The government’s next steps will be watched closely as a test of its political will and integrity.