Illegal Bets and Gambling Through Armenia in Turkey

In the city of Mersin, Turkey, 86 suspects have been detained for organizing illegal betting through Armenia. This was reported by TRT Haber, referencing a statement from the Mersin police. This information is also covered by Hetq.

The Mersin Cyber Crime Division discovered that the group had established a betting and gambling website in Armenia, accepting wagers. The total turnover of the network amounted to approximately 190 million lira (around 22 million dollars), of which 65 million lira (7.5 million dollars) was held in cryptocurrency. Following an examination of numerous accounts, the police found that part of the profits was circulated through various Bitcoin accounts.

Members of the group who established the website in Armenia opened accounts under 273 individuals' names on various platforms, accepting illegal bets from both Armenia and Turkey. Turkish investigative authorities have filed requests for the detention of 117 individuals. Accounting records related to the organization of bets, computers, digital storage devices, and cash have been confiscated from their places of residence. The police have not yet disclosed the identities of the detainees.

The group had branches in major Turkish cities such as Antalya, Istanbul, and Bursa.

Connection to Armenia
Essentially, in addition to creating a website in Armenia, some aspects of the group's activities were managed from Armenia. This raises the question of whether this group could have connections with major bookmakers operating in Armenia.

Based on certain data, Hetq reached out to one of the largest companies operating in the betting sector in Armenia. It is known that Armenian betting companies, in addition to accepting bets, also offer services for the creation of betting websites and games, developing technological innovations to facilitate the organization of the sector.