Istanbul prosecutors pursue case over seven-second live odds delay that allegedly cost bookmakers TL12 million

Prosecutors in Istanbul are advancing a case against eight suspects accused of manipulating live betting systems, in a scheme said to have cost licensed Turkish bookmakers TL12 million ($241,144).

At the centre of the investigation is a data analyst identified as OB, who worked for Spordata, a company that supplies sports data and operational infrastructure to legally licensed betting operators in Turkey. Prosecutors allege he deliberately delayed the transmission of live odds by roughly seven seconds during matches, including tennis and volleyball fixtures. Associates who had opened betting accounts are said to have placed wagers knowing the real score, giving them an unfair advantage.

According to the prosecutor's office, the delay caused financial damage both to Spordata and to the licensed operators that rely on its services. Cumulative losses were put at TL12 million.

Local reporting cited recovered WhatsApp messages, including "We will make good money", "If you play, we will go through the money" and "I am managing the system right now". These conflict with the suspect's statement to police and prosecutors, in which he denied knowledge of the system or of any such message exchanges. OB was taken into custody in July of this year.

Further inquiries drew in Turkey's financial crimes unit, which identified inflows and outflows of about TL192 million linked to OB's accounts. After coordinated police operations in Istanbul, eight additional suspects connected to the scheme were apprehended, and they now face judicial proceedings alongside him.

The case comes amid a wider enforcement push in the country. Last month, Turkish authorities opened an investigation into an illegal betting network spanning eight provinces, and the Interior Ministry said accounts connected with the suspects showed suspicious financial activity of TL17.75 billion. The ministry said the crackdown on digital illegal gambling would continue as part of a broader strategy to stop criminal proceeds entering the economy through banking and payment infrastructure. Earlier this year, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi was reported to have called illegal betting a "scourge that corrupts society" while stressing a move towards tougher enforcement.