Turkey Faces $40 Billion Annual Economic Losses From Gambling

^{Photo: Mehmet Dinç, President of the Green Crescent Society, at a press conference in Istanbul}

The Turkish Green Crescent Society, a non-profit organization, has released a report detailing the financial toll of addictions on the country’s economy. According to Al Jazeera, gambling imposes the greatest burden.

The report, titled “Economics of Addictions: Financial Costs of Tobacco, Alcohol, Gambling, and Drugs in Turkey”, estimates that direct and indirect losses from these four dependencies amount to $78 billion annually.

Gambling alone accounts for $40 billion per year — more than 51% of the total impact — making it the leading source of economic harm.

The report describes gambling as one of the most dangerous addictions from both financial and social perspectives. Beyond the billions in losses, gambling addiction contributes to family breakdowns, debt, and crimes such as fraud and theft.

Tobacco use ranks second, costing the economy $24 billion annually, followed by alcohol consumption at $9 billion. Drug addiction accounts for $5 billion in losses.

The estimates include both direct consumer spending on addictive products and indirect costs such as healthcare expenditures and losses tied to criminal activity.

Earlier, the Green Crescent reported that in 2024 the number of gambling addicts in Turkey tripled compared to drug addicts.