In Turkey, authorities have blocked 6,314 bank accounts involved in illegal sports betting on the day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The operation was carried out by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office through its specialized bureau for investigating illegal betting and sports crimes.
The accounts across 32 banks were identified using the AI system AVCI and operational data. The timing of the block was intentional, coinciding with the peak betting traffic during the final match. Additionally, law enforcement uncovered 19 underground financial centers integrated into the payment infrastructure of offshore iGaming sites and initiated legal proceedings against 23 suspects.