The Ministry of Trade of Turkey reported that its Advertising Board had blocked 30 social media accounts on suspicion of promoting illegal gambling. According to a survey by the Turkish Ministry of Trade, accounts on YouTube and other platforms shared elements encouraging participation in gambling, including real-time betting.
According to the Turkish Advertising Commission, these elements are in violation of the Turkish Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Business Practices and the State Consumer Protection Law. The Ministry of Trade stated that if the irregularities were not removed, the accounts would be permanently closed. In Turkey, gambling was severely restricted, the casino ban was introduced in 1998, and non-State online lottery was introduced in 2006. This leaves only the State-owned lottery Milli Piyango and a limited number of licensed betting services, including online platforms. However, illegal online gambling, especially activities related to professional football, is considered common. His Government had tried to combat illegal gambling websites, social media advertisements and payment networks. However, critics argue that these restrictions have become inextricably linked to Turkey ‘ s attempts to control digital platforms and to limit the content of networks that the Government considers politically harmful.