The Best Turkish Betting Sites for 2024

International vs State-Owned Sports Betting Sites

Turkey, where the East meets the West. Although officially a secular state with over 85 million inhabitants, most citizens are Sunni Muslims with strong religious beliefs. As a religion with a low tolerance for gambling, stringent and prohibitive measures have been taken by governments in power to limit betting activity. While options are limited, you can still bet on your favourite sports in Turkey.

The Turkish government outlawed all forms of online gambling in 2007, except for the state-owned sports betting company, IDDAA. Although many online gambling sites in Turkey ignored government warnings and continued to accept customers, new laws introduced in 2017 scared many of these rebels away. Despite this, a few online bookmakers continue to accept Turkish bettors.

But why do so many Turkish citizens choose to bet with these international operators rather than the legal, state-owned IDDAA? Due to increased competition, the best Turkish betting sites offer:

• Bigger sign up bonuses and free bets
• Better odds on a wide range of sports
• A wide variety of in-play betting markets

Sound good? Join one of the sites recommended on this page to benefit from all these features.

How to Deposit at Sports Betting Sites in Turkey

With the Turkish government actively pursuing and prosecuting individuals and banks who take part in online gambling with unlicensed firms, bank transfer and debit/credit card payments seem a risky proposition at Turkish betting sites.

Authorities have empowered the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) to oversee and block the transactions to and from international betting sites. Measures have also been introduced to block payments via cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), which leaves e-wallets and prepaid cards as the safest way to deposit at Turkish bookmakers.

A prepaid voucher such as paysafecard is another alternative, but not every online betting site in Turkey offers paysafecard as a withdrawal method.

The History of Sports Betting in Turkey

Land based casino gambling was initially legalised across Turkey in 1983. However, Turkish citizens were banned from the live gaming areas of the casinos, with the casinos primarily in place to attract tourist money. The law changed in 1995 to allow Turkish people to use the gaming tables.

Just two years later, the newly elected Islamic Welfare Party somewhat surprisingly passed a new law which meant that all 78 nationwide casinos had to be closed. Whilst citing money laundering and other criminal activity as justifiable reasons, it is widely believed that the new legislation was based upon religious and moral grounds.

Slowly but surely, the Turkish government implemented a string of different laws and regulations which reduced betting activity. This culminated in the outlawing of all online gambling in 2007, apart from through the state-owned sports betting company IDDAA.

Initially, the threats of the Turkish government were not enough to deter some major international bookmakers from accepting Turkish citizens. Publicly listed Swedish firm Betsson were unperturbed by the potential risks involved, especially as the Turkish market was extremely lucrative – making up over 26% of their revenue.

However, in the summer of 2013, legislation was proposed in Turkish parliament, which planned on imposing fines of up to £180,000 on players using illegal betting websites. Under the proposed new laws, unlicensed companies and payment processors, banks and advertisers were also in the firing line, facing hefty fines and potential prison sentences for facilitating or promoting illegal online activity. This seemed to alter the attitude of the European bookmakers, as many withdrew from the Turkish market.

The government took additional steps to crack down on non-licensed online gambling sites in Turkey in 2017. These measures included amending existing legislation, introducing additional blocking measures, and increasing awareness of gambling addiction. In addition, the Turkish Banking Supervision Body (BDDK) announced new controls to restrict the flow of money to non-licensed Turkish betting sites.

What Does the Future Hold for Turkish Bettors?

Citizens in many countries where regulations are strict can ignore the law with little fear of consequence. However, in Turkey, the threat of prosecution makes betting online a more dangerous activity. The clear intent the Turkish authorities have displayed in policing the law has scared off most of the major foreign operators, who have ceased offering their services to Turkish citizens.

Although the situation may seem bleak, it’s important to remember that you can legally bet through the state-owned IDDAA. However, if you’re seeking bigger bonuses and better odds, you may have a better experience betting on your favourite sports at the Turkish bookmakers listed on this page.