As the illegal gambling debate grows, slot games are on legal betting sites

The casino era, which ended with the closure of 78 casinos in Türkiye in 1998, moved to the digital environment with the spread of the internet. While the fight against illegal internet gambling continues, similar slot machines have begun to be offered on legal betting platforms such as Bilyoner, Misli and Nesine. According to the news of Uğur Koçbaş from Oksijen, the management, supply and technical integration processes of these games are carried out by Unexpected Interactive Games and Software Inc., which has been authorized by the Türkiye Wealth Fund for 10 years.

IN 1998, 78 CASINONES WERE CLOSED, AND SLOTS WERE MOVED TO THE INTERNET

The last day of casinos in Türkiye was February 11, 1998. The activities of 78 casinos in 12 cities stretching from Istanbul to Antalya, from Izmir to Kuşadası were terminated. According to the records of the period, there were 848 game tables and 8 thousand 979 slot machines in these businesses.

With the development of the Internet and the widespread use of smartphones, gambling games have also moved to the digital environment. Slot machines similar to those once found in large halls began to be offered on websites. The demand for foreign sites that do not have operating permission in Türkiye has also increased over time.

Slot games, which have become one of the most striking products of illegal gambling sites, have become a part of daily life, from metrobus to Marmaray, from ferry to bus.

The state carried out a fight against illegal gambling networks by blocking access to websites, monitoring money transfers and carrying out operations. However, after a site is closed, the ability to re-offer the same games from another internet address remains one of the most important problems in the fight.

Although the number of illegal gambling sites blocked by the National Lottery Administration in one year exceeded 200 thousand, it was not possible to prevent the sites from being reopened with different addresses.

OPERATION ON ILLEGAL GAMBLING MONEY TRAFFIC

Money traffic, as well as websites, has become an important topic in the fight against illegal gambling. While bank accounts, electronic money institutions and payment systems became the focus of investigations, the fact that some people let others use their bank accounts in exchange for commissions was also examined.

In an operation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in September 2026, 345 illegal betting sites, 110 different payment methods and 1,200 IBANs were detected. Approximately 98 thousand internet addresses related to illegal betting were identified and access was blocked. In addition, 1,200 bank accounts belonging to 1,048 real and legal persons were seized.

Institutional coordination to combat illegal betting and virtual gambling has also been expanded. With the Presidency's circular numbered 2025/18, the Action Plan to Combat Illegal Betting, Games of Chance and Gambling in the Virtual Environment came into force. Following the plan that envisages the joint action of public institutions under the coordination of MASAK, the Ministry of Justice sent a letter regarding the struggle to the chief public prosecutors' offices in 81 provinces in February 2026.

SLOT GAMES SEASON ON LEGAL BETTING SITES

While the fight against illegal internet casinos continued, a remarkable development occurred in the last months of 2026. Similar slot machines, which have been the symbol of illegal gambling sites for years, began to appear in the menus of legal sports betting platforms in Türkiye.

The mechanisms of classic slot machines were used in games offered under names such as BasKazan on Bilyoner and Instant Kazan on different platforms.

Bilyoner's BasKazan User Agreement included the information that the games were offered with the approval of the Türkiye Wealth Fund and under the supervision of the National Lottery Administration.

However, it turned out that the company offering the games was not Şans Girişim, the İddaa operator of the Demirören Group, or Sisal Şans, the operator of the National Lottery games. Services in this field were carried out by Unexpected Interactive Games and Software Inc.

UNEXPECTED WAS GIVEN A 10-YEAR AUTHORITY

According to the statement on Unexpected's website, the company was authorized by the Türkiye Wealth Fund for 10 years to be subject to the monitoring and supervision of the National Lottery Administration.

The company's mission was defined as providing services related to the organization of games approved by the Türkiye Wealth Fund.

Türkiye Wealth Fund is the licensee of the National Lottery for cash, Win Now, numerical games and similar games of chance that are permitted under the relevant legislation in Türkiye. The license in question was transferred to the fund for 49 years with the legal regulation made in 2017.

The National Lottery Administration is responsible for monitoring and supervising the execution of activities within the scope of the license in accordance with the legislation.

Within the scope of this system, Unexpected undertook the technical management of new slot games, game supply and integration into the infrastructure of electronic dealers.

THE ROLE OF TWO COMPANIES FOUNDED ONE WEEK ACROSS THE GAMING INDUSTRY

In addition to Unexpected, United Racing Şans Oyunları AŞ, which operates horse racing betting, also came to the fore.

Ömer Onan was the founder of United Racing, which was founded on November 20, 2025, about a week after the establishment of Unexpected. The company soon took on the task of operating horse racing betting in Türkiye.

Thus, the two companies began to operate in different gaming fields. United Racing started to serve in horse racing betting, and Unexpected started to serve in new slot games.

In Unexpected's operation, games are procured from manufacturers abroad, adapted to the system in Türkiye, translated into Turkish and integrated into the infrastructure of electronic dealers.

The Bulgarian-related 7777 Gaming logo was seen on the start screens of the games. It was stated that the Bulgarian affiliated organization played a role in creating the company's initial technical infrastructure and in the supply of games.

17.7 BILLION DOLLAR BETTING ECONOMY

The history of legal sports betting in Türkiye dates back to the start of İddaa in 2004.

In February 2019, Spor Toto Organization Presidency gave the central management of Iddaa to Şans Girişim, formed by Demirören Group and its US partner. A 10-year contract was signed between the parties.

In August 2019, Türkiye Wealth Fund transferred the operation of National Lottery games with cash bonuses to Sisal Şans, a partnership between Demirören and Italian Sisal, for 10 years.

A wide user network plays an important role in choosing platforms such as Bilyoner, Misli and Nesine. The number of people registered on legal betting sites in Türkiye exceeded 28.3 million, and the economic size of the sector exceeded 17.7 billion dollars. Tax revenue of $1.4 billion was generated from these activities.

By integrating new slot games into these platforms, it is aimed to use the existing user infrastructure for different game types.

NEW STRATEGY TO FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL GAMES

One of the reasons behind adding slot games to legal betting platforms is to attract the demand for illegal games to the legal system.

In the strategy evaluated in this context, the emphasis is on bringing the visual and animation language of licensed games closer to the experience that players are used to on illegal sites.

According to industry sources, the main factor that causes social problems is not animations, but high bonuses and mechanisms that create a 'near-miss' feeling in players. In Türkiye, it is aimed to fight against illegal games with low jackpot games within the framework of the responsible gaming standards of the World Lottery Association.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz announced on May 19, 2026 that the size of the illegal betting and virtual gambling economy in Türkiye was between 20-60 billion dollars.

Directing some of the money estimated to be spent on illegal games to the legal system carries additional income potential for the state. According to calculations, it is estimated that if half of the money spent on illegal sites is withdrawn to the legal system, an additional turnover of 10-30 billion dollars and an additional tax revenue of 1-3 billion dollars can be generated.

25 LIRA FROM A 100 LIRA SLOT GAME GOES TO TAX

With slot games being offered on legal platforms, the tax revenue generated by the state also comes to the fore.

According to Law No. 5602, games of chance tax is applied as 5 percent for joint bets based on sports competitions, 7 percent for horse races and 10 percent for other games of chance. Slot games are considered in the category of other games of chance.

Taking the Value Added Tax (VAT) into account, the total tax amount reaches 25 lira when a slot game worth 100 lira is played.

In case of winning a bonus, inheritance and transfer tax comes into play. Accordingly, 26 thousand 613 lira tax is deducted from the prize of a person who wins a 200 thousand lira BasKazan jackpot.

ACTORS OF SLOT GAMES IN Türkiye

Türkiye Wealth Fund: Owner of the 49-year cash games of chance license transferred in 2017. It approves the offering of games and authorizes companies for management services.

National Lottery Administration: Monitors and inspects the activities within the scope of the license in terms of compliance with the legislation.

Unexpected: It carries out the operation of slot games, game supply and technical integration services within the scope of the 10-year authorization given by the Türkiye Wealth Fund.