Gambling Addiction Outpaces Drug Abuse as Turkey’s Top Concern in 2024

Gambling addiction has become a more pressing issue in Turkey than drug addiction, according to remarks made in Parliament by Mehmet Dinc, president of the Turkish Green Crescent (Yesilay)*, as reported by Türkiye Today.

“For years, we received the most applications related to drug addiction. However, this year, gambling addiction has overtaken it,” Dinc explained.

In 2020, gambling addiction accounted for 24% of all inquiries to the Green Crescent, but that figure has climbed to 36% in 2024.

Particularly alarming, Dinc noted, is the prevalence of gambling problems among teens as young as 15.

“Unfortunately, gambling advertisements are widely visible in places where children and young people can see them,” he emphasized. The cities with the highest recorded cases include Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

While most forms of gambling are outlawed in Turkey, exceptions include the state lottery and the government-backed betting platform IDDAA, which is authorized to offer online betting. Offshore operators, however, remain popular among Turkish gamblers.

* Turkish Green Crescent is a charity focused on combating addiction to alcohol, drugs, and other substances. It was founded on March 5, 1920, in Istanbul.