Turkey bans access to social media accounts over alleged promotion of illegal gambling
Up to 30 accounts are effected.
Turkey.- The Turkish Ministry of Trade has reported that the country’s Advertising Board has banned access to 30 social media accounts due to alleged promotion of illegal gambling. It said that a probe had found the accounts on YouTube and other platforms to be sharing content that encouraged participation in gambling, including live betting.
The Advertising Board said the content had violated Turkey’s Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices as well as the national Consumer Protection Law. If the offending content is not removed, the accounts in question will be permanently shut down, the ministry said.
Gambling is limited in Turkey, with a ban on casinos implemented in 1998 and a ban on non-state online gambling introduced in 2006. That leaves the state-run lottery, Milli Piyango, and a limited number of licensed betting services, including some online platforms. However, illegal online gambling, especially related to professional football, is believed to be common.
There have been attempts to crack down on illegal gambling websites, as well on social media advertising and payment networks. However, critics argue that the restrictions have become tied up with Turkey’s attempts to control digital platforms and to limit online content that the government sees as politically harmful.
