 August 26 - In recent years, the Turkish government has been putting more and
more pressure on the internet in the country, systematically blocking access to
sites that are deemed socially destructive or immoral.
One of the industries seriously hit by this policy has been the Turkish
online gambling industry which was banned literally overnight by sweeping
legislation earlier this year. Suddenly, it became illegal for offshore
companies to offer their gambling services to Turkish citizens, and it became
illegal for Turks to wager online. Anybody contravening these laws faced prison
time and hefty fines.
Many were hopeful that the Turkish government would slowly let up on these
tough laws and realize that the best way to control Turkish online gambling was
not to ban it outright, but to regulate it.
However, it seems that experts are fearing the worst for the Turkish online
gambling industry as the government continues in its censorship blitz on
internet sites in the country.
This week, over 500 of Turkey's top websites closed as a form of protest
against the government's increasingly archaic policy. Online gambling sites,
although not among them, feared that there is no future in a country that is
heading it that direction. All in all, over 850 international websites have been
closed down.
Already, the Turkish government has closed down access to one of Yahoo's most
popular websites, YouTube when it was discovered that some material loaded up to
this site may be construed as offensive to the country's first president.
It is believed that Turkey is using the internet as an excuse to block
gambling sites in order protect the state-owned sports betting companies that
are still allowed to operate.
Turkish online gambling companies are starting to feel like an Armenian in Istanbul circa 1915. Zing! Just ask the dudes from Sportingbet.
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