The Istanbul gendarmerie, in coordination with the prosecutor's office, has conducted Operation Paymix-3 against a network of illegal bookmakers, as reported by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
According to the minister, the bookmakers were using cryptocurrency and shell companies for transactions, which amounted to approximately $3 billion monthly.
During the operation, authorities shut down servers of 49 illegal betting sites, which stored data of 15 million users and information about 1,200 related internet resources. A total of 38 suspects are involved in the case, some of whom are located abroad. The shell companies through which the money was funneled have been placed under the management of the Turkish Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).