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Turkey may fine 3.2M users in Paymix-linked illegal betting case

Turkish prosecutors matched 3.2M illegal betting records to national ID numbers, raising the prospect of a major user-level enforcement action in the offshore-heavy market.

The case centers on Fincrypto UAB, a Malta-registered crypto payment provider operating as Paymix. Prosecutors allege the network supported 49 illegal betting websites through technical infrastructure, shell companies and crypto transfers.

Under Turkey’s laws, users involved in illegal betting can face administrative fines of roughly $2,200 to $8,800.

Restricted rules keep Turkey’s offshore gap open

Blask data ranks Turkey as the fourth-largest iGaming market globally by CEB over the past year. The market generated $9.94B in projected revenue across more than 250 tracked brands.In April 2026, both demand and CEB were concentrated outside the local channel: international brands accounted for 86% of CEB, while local brands represented 14%.

СEB, Turkey. Local vs. international operators, May 2025 – April 2026.
СEB, Turkey. Local vs. international operators, May 2025 – April 2026.

Seven licensed brands were responsible for 16% of the country’s Blask Index. The remaining share belongs to brands outside the licensed channel, confirming that the gap is structural across both demand and revenue-potential signals.The top of the market follows the same pattern. Turkey’s top 10 brands account for around half of the country’s Blask Index, but only three of them are licensed: Nesine, Iddaa and Bilyoner. Combined BAP of those three is 14.3%, leaving most top-10 demand with brands outside the licensed channel.

Turkey's top 10 brands by Blask Index
Turkey’s top 10 brands by BAP

Licensed brands weaken as offshore CEB dominates

Within the licensed segment, Nesine and Bilyoner posted declining Blask Index trends in 2025. Nesine was down 14% year-on-year, while Bilyoner dropped 11%. Iddaa, Turkey’s central licensed fixed-odds betting product moved in the opposite direction with 13% growth, reflecting its central role in the country’s licensed betting system.

In 2025, total market CEB reached $10.4B, with offshore brands accounting for the overwhelming majority of projected revenue potential. That means a large share of Turkey’s iGaming demand, and the tax base that could come with it, remains outside the licensed channel.

Turkey licensed Blask Index trend
Turkey licensed Blask Index trend

Turkey’s gap is moving, not closing

Blask data show offshore CEB declined through 2025 as Turkey increased pressure on payment providers, but the structural gap remained: roughly 85% of observed demand still sits outside the licensed channel.

Large-scale user fines could create a deterrent that domain blocking and payment seizures did not. By tying offshore betting activity to national ID data, the Paymix case moves enforcement from access and payment disruption to personal liability, testing whether user-level pressure can narrow a gap that payment enforcement alone has not closed.