���������

In a bid to combat unlicensed gambling operators that advertise their services during sports events, the Turkish Football Association (TFF) has released new guidelines on illegal bookmaking advertising by the country’s clubs.

“It is forbidden to promote or advertise betting organisations that are not licensed by the authorities via any media, including on billboards and any other equipment at stadiums. This prohibition includes affiliated entities of the organisations in question, and promotions and advertisements that make reference to these organisations,” the TFF said in the new guidelines.

In September, in the Super League (Süper Lig), the top tier of Turkey’s professional football league, a website with links to unlicensed bookmakers paid for its advertisements to appear on billboards during a match played by local sides Galatasaray and Adana Demirspor, local news site Haber7.com reported. 

In the aftermath of the match, state-owned gambling business Spor Toto Organisation filed a criminal complaint with the Turkish Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor, requesting the launch of a probe into the advertisements and whether they encouraged viewers to engage in using the services of illegal bookmakers. 

In the past, Spor Toto Organization has served as the title sponsor of the Super League and remains involved in sports sponsorship.

The new TFF regulations apply to all levels of the country’s professional football league and vary in scope. 

Under the guidelines, football clubs from the Super League face a fine of TRY2.5m (€69,000) for the first violation of the association’s rules, TRY5m for the second, TRY10m for the third and TRY10m for subsequent ones paired with a three-point deduction from the league table.

For clubs from the second tier First League (1. Lig), the TFF says that teams can be issued fines of TRY1m, TRY2m, TRY4m and TRY4m combined with a three-point deduction from the league table. 

Fines cascade down further for the third and fourth tiers of Turkish professional football respectively, and settle at a basic rate for all other forms of organised football.

The move by the sports authority comes as offshore gambling advertising in Turkey is currently under investigation by the country’s prosecutors.

Earlier this month, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the detention of a number of persons, including Turkish television personalities and popular musicians, who were accused of taking part in and encouraging unlicensed betting.