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Turkish authorities have used an artificial intelligence-supported system to identify suspected illegal betting and gambling networks operating through Telegram, leading to coordinated raids across 39 provinces.
Police targeted 194 suspects during the November 3 operation and detained 169 people. Prosecutors later ordered 121 suspects jailed pending trial, while 45 were released under judicial supervision and three were released without restrictions.
The investigation was conducted under the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities used a system called AVCI, meaning “hunter” in Turkish, to identify groups suspected of organizing unauthorized betting through messaging platforms.
Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, known as MASAK, also examined financial activity linked to the suspects and reported a high volume of transactions.
AVCI Tracks Activity Across Telegram Groups
AVCI was developed by Istanbul police as an open-source intelligence analysis system for digital investigations.
The technology uses natural language processing to interpret coded expressions, slang and emoji combinations. It can also examine photographs and videos, link accounts operating under different identities and map connections between suspected group members.
Another function allows investigators to preserve communications from closed messaging groups even after users delete them.
Reports linked to the latest investigation said AVCI identified 306,000 potentially incriminating messages connected with 47 groups.
Authorities also identified a 21-year-old software developer as an alleged organizer who used the name of British lottery winner Michael Carroll as his Telegram alias.
The digital analysis was combined with MASAK’s review of financial transactions before police carried out searches and seizures at homes and workplaces across the country.
Earlier Probe Also Used AI Analysis
AVCI had already been deployed in another large gambling investigation earlier in 2026.
In May, police used the system to examine around 600,000 messages during an operation covering 35 provinces. That investigation resulted in 108 arrests.
Authorities also reviewed suspected gambling-related financial activity and reportedly seized phones, SIM cards, laptops and other electronic equipment during the searches.
The November case follows the same enforcement approach, using digital communications and financial records to identify suspected illegal gambling networks before carrying out coordinated raids.
Turkeyprohibits unauthorized online betting, and recent investigations have focused on operators using messaging applications to promote gambling and organize payments.
121 Suspects Jailed Pending Trial
According to Haberler.com, the November raids extended across Istanbul and dozens of other provinces, including Ankara, Antalya, İzmir, Bursa, Gaziantep and several parts of eastern and western Turkey.
Of the 169 people detained, courts ordered 121 held pending trial. Another 45 were released under judicial controls, while prosecutors released three without restrictions.
The operation shows how Turkish authorities are incorporating AI-assisted analysis into illegal betting investigations, particularly where communication takes place through closed online groups and alternative identities.
The available information does not indicate that the wider investigation has concluded. Authorities have confirmed the detention outcomes and the scale of the digital and financial evidence examined in connection with the case.
