The introduction
Investigation
Halil Falyali, a Turkish Cypriot businessman known for his flashy lifestyle and political connections, was shot dead in 2022. Behind the scenes, he allegedly ran a sprawling illegal online betting empire, according to Turkish prosecutors and his former head of finance, who spoke exclusively to OCCRP.
- Falyali’s longtime head of finance, Cemil Önal, told OCCRP that these operations generated at least $80 million each month. (Reporters were unable to independently verify the figure.)
- Önal said he personally arranged some $15 million in “sponsorship” payments to public officials in Turkey and northern Cyprus each month.
- Reporters also found over $60 million worth of properties owned by Falyali’s widow in Dubai, which Önal identified as a major base for the alleged organization’s ongoing operations.
- The organization allegedly recruited thousands of people to open bank, credit card, cryptocurrency, and online payment accounts to move illicit gambling proceeds, according to Turkish prosecutors.
- The details laid out by Önal and Turkish prosecutors illustrate the difficulty of regulating illegal betting, a rapidly growing industry estimated to generate hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
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