Online gambling in Turkey
Turkey recently passed anti-gambling laws that one expert has called the most authoritarian in the Western World. The laws came into effect in November 2007 and render a range of categories of internet content (including gambling) illegal, and give authorities sweeping powers to block that content. Turkish Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Suppression of Crimes Committed by means of Such Publications (“the Law”) gives the newly formed Telecommunications Communications Presidency (“TIB”) the power to issue “administrative blocking orders” in relation to websites it deems inappropriate.
The TIB’s surveillance task is aided by a hotline set up with the purpose of taking calls from locals wishing to report content they believe to be illegal under the law. According to Cyber Rights, in its first year after launch, the hotline received 25,159 unique notifications, of which 12,515 were investigated as legitimate possible infringements (668 related to gambling). Videos posted on YouTube were regularly reported items.
Once a lucrative online gambling market for a number of large operators (well known sports betting firm Bwin stated that Turkey used to make up 6% of its revenues), many have beat a hasty retreat and decided to invest marketing efforts elsewhere. As is always the case on the internet however, prohibitions never seem to dissuade all operators and some will continue to accept Turkish players until blocked.
Best live casino for Turkish players
The following casinos offer live dealer platforms tailored to Turkish players, all offering Euro banking/account/play options and some offering Turkish language capabilities.
 Casinos |
 Player access |
 Banking |
 Toll free support |
 Local language |
 Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Read review I Visit |
No restrictions on Turkish player sign-ups | No deposit restrictions. Maintain account in € EURO |
No | Full Türkçe language website and support capability | Big game range including Turkce Rulet |
