Court proceedings in cases of gambling advertising are continuing in Turkey. Some defendants have already received a court decision and have been released, while others remain under court supervision.
Kerimcan Durmaz
DJ Kerimcan Durmaz, who was arrested on charges of promoting gambling while performing at the Toy Room Malta nightclub in Malta, was released from prison at the first hearing held on February 20 at the 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul. The further continuation of the case against Durmaz is not yet known.
Recall that at the time of his arrest, Kerimcan denied the charges, claiming that he was unaware of the promotion of illegal betting during his performances. He claimed that his involvement was limited to performing as a DJ and he was not aware of the content of the advertisements.
“I was very careful not to have any advertisements while sharing visuals of my performance on my profile. I definitely didn’t promote betting from my account.”
DJ’s performance announcement: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=473822182392358
Serdar Ortaç and Mehmet Ali Erbil
Sixteen suspects, including Influencers and some celebrities, have been detained during the investigation into illegal betting promotion in Turkey, which has been ongoing since November 20, 2024.
Popular singer Serdar Ortaç and comic actor Mehmet Ali Erbil were also charged for videos shot in Malta.
The videos which have gone viral on social media show Erbil and Ortaç sitting next to a man wearing a T-shirt with the name of a betting company and allegedly placing bets and giving him gambling advice.
Serdar Ortaç, who has testified at the hearing, stated that they were suddenly videotaped while having dinner at a hotel in Malta and that the hotel unexpectedly turned into a gambling location. They tried to leave the country but could not find a flight and were only able to leave Malta in the morning.
Serdar Ortaç
A Turkish court on February 25 sentenced singer Serdar Ortaç to 10 months in prison and a 400 lira ($10.93) fine in a case of “illegal betting advertisement and incitement.” However, the court postponed the sentence and placed him on probation. The decision means the singer will avoid jail time if he does not repeat the offense during his probation period.
Ortaç’s lawyer argued that the singer was fraudulently coerced into taking part in the opening of a hotel and restaurant, which was later found to be linked to gambling advertisements.
Mehmet Ali Erbil
Erbil claimed the videos were taken as a “memory” of the trip and said he did not know the T-shirts were linked to a betting shop.
“Even great professors get cheated. It has nothing to do with career or age. Our foresight has also been blocked. I am ashamed to be here because of such a shameful crime.” he said.
Atakan Yılmaz
Actor Atakan Yılmaz, who was arrested on January 7, 2025, for his alleged involvement in advertising illegal betting, was released on February 6, 2025, under court supervision with a ban on traveling abroad.
Atakan Yılmaz said: “There is no mention of betting in my words. I was shocked when I saw the advertisement on YouTube. I had no idea it was illegal betting. I have no intention of committing a crime. I am asking for my acquittal.”
