| | |  | Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 |  | | | Turkey Tries to Ban Internet Gambling
- Thursday, 26 Jan 2006
Adopting the United States’ hard-line approach toward online gambling, Turkey is the latest country to attempt to ban the industry. But taking legal matters one step further, Turkey is also seeking to ban its citizens from frequenting offshore gambling sites. While this has the potential to affect casino fans depending on what measures the government will take to enforce new legislation, gambling operators themselves will remain mostly unaffected since the majority of them are based outside Turkey.
The move to ban online gambling began in the Turkish Interior Ministry, where it was estimated that Turkish residents are currently gambling at approximately 30 online casino sites that provide a range of games for casino fans. Pressure within the Ministry has now escalated the issue so that the government is investigating ways in which to make the 30 casino sites inaccessible for Turkish casino fans. Online lotteries have also come under scrutiny while the Turkish government investigates what legal measures can be brought to bear on offshore gambling operators.
A recent case brought against the United States by Caribbean nations Antigua and Barbuda stated that U.S. anti-gambling policy is discriminatory in nature. While the WTO is yet to make a ruling on the case, it remains to be seen if the Turkish government’s actions will result in those nations traditionally friendly toward online gambling making similar claims.
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