Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 36 suspects were caught in illegal betting operations called “Sibergöz-24” centered in 104 provinces. The operations were carried out against accounts that encouraged gambling by advertising illegal betting and virtual gambling sites on social media platforms.
Success Achieved After Seven Months of Meticulous Work
As a result of the detailed work that has been going on for approximately 7 months under the coordination of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Cyber Crimes Combat Department of the General Directorate of Security, the Cyber Crimes Combat Branch Directorates of the Provincial Police Departments took action.
The provinces where the operations were carried out were Adana, Adıyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Ağrı, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bingöl, Bolu, Bursa, Çanakkale, Çorum, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Samsun, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Van, Yalova and Zonguldak.
Phenomenon Accounts Also Under the Scrutiny
Among the suspects caught are users of social media accounts called “anonymous” and “phenomenon” with more than 1 million followers. It was determined that these people reached large audiences, promoted illegal betting and virtual gambling sites and directed users to these platforms. As a result of the operations, many digital material was seized.
Congratulatory and Clear Message from Minister Yerlikaya
Minister Yerlikaya congratulated the Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices who coordinated the operations, the Provincial Police Chiefs who carried out the operations, and all the heroic police officers.
Minister Yerlikaya emphasized that illegal betting is a serious crime that threatens not only individuals but also the future of society, and underlined that the fight against such crimes will continue unabated with the following statements: “We continue our fight against illegal betting and cyber fraud with determination for the safety of our citizens.”
