When Odds Turn Ugly: Inside Turkey's Major Football Betting Crackdown

Sinister Betting Probe Sweeps Turkish Football

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday the detention of nearly thirty people involved in Turkish football, including 14 players and a former Galatasaray official, over match betting allegations.

The sprawling investigation, ongoing for months, has already led to the jailing of six referees and the head of Eyüpspor, a first‑division club, in early November.

In a public statement, prosecutors said arrest warrants were issued for 29 people, 14 of them players, with 24 held in custody.

Also detained were Galatasaray's former president Erden Timur, Eyüpspor's vice president Fatih Kolaksiz, and another official at the Turkish Football Federation.

Six suspects are accused of trying to influence the Kasimpasa–Samsunspor match played on October 26, 2024, while the 14 players are accused of betting in a way that could affect the outcome by backing the opponent.

Officials said the operations were carried out simultaneously in 11 provinces, with focus currently on Istanbul.

The listing in the statement includes players and officials from clubs and the federation, plus businessmen and a former police officer.

According to prosecutors, suspicious banking transactions were detected, including internal and external fund flows believed linked to betting, along with hints of money-trail concealment and unusual transfers.

This marks the third wave of actions tied to the sports betting inquiry.

Last month the Turkish Football Federation announced it had suspended about 150 referees found to be involved in match betting, with all subsequently removed. About 25 first‑division players and roughly a thousand players in lower tiers were also suspended.

Punchline time: when a whistle blows, even the odds look dodgy—guess that’s what you call a high-stakes comedy. And if you bet on this, congratulations, you just joined a very exclusive club: the confession booth.