Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office disclosed an indictment on Monday for 75 suspects for violating the law on online gambling and gaming regulations, which can result in up to 11 years of imprisonment.
Having a cell-type organization, the organization was masterminded by Anıl Uzun, who lives in the U.K. Apart from Turkey, the organization carried out illegal betting in Malta, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
According to the indictment, the suspects used the application Slack to communicate and earned $100,000 daily online with the money transfer application “Jeton (Token).”
It is also indicated in the indictment that the organization’s leader Anıl Uzun also has U.K. citizenship and his brother Onur Uzun was among managers of the organization. It is also noted that Uzun’s sister, Fatma Uzun Demirtaş, whose husband Ümit Demirtaş is also among suspects, is a partner of a company in Bursa province. The company reportedly used to recruit people for the organization.
Turkey struggles to crack down on illegal betting as a country where football is the nation’s favorite sport and a way of earning income for gambling addicts. The country implemented a law last year to facilitate the seizure of revenues for illegal betting organizers, but the gangs managed to circumvent the strict monitoring of bank accounts. Authorities say they stepped up cooperation with banks to detect accounts used by gangs and betting.
Last Updated on Mar 16, 2020 4:12 pm
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