In the past five years, Turkey's Telecommunications Directorate and the National Lottery have cooperated on the shutdown of 139 illegal online gambling websites, it was reported this week.
In the same period, complaints were filed against another 457 websites, which only witnesses of the flourishing of the pastime ever since terrestrial gambling houses were banned in 1997.
Due to such a high number of illegal online gambling venues, the National Lottery came up with a special section - the Games of Hazard Department, which serves to fight illegal gambling online and inhibit related advertising and marketing efforts. The Telecommunications authorities have joined the cause by introducing ISP blocking, it was added.