{ thoughts on a world of chance from David G. Schwartz }

Illegal Turkish casinos

February 23rd, 2007 by Dave

Even though it seems like casino legalization is a steady wave sweeping across the planet, some nations have chosen to outlaw casinos. Turkey is one of those, though it appears that gambling is still flourishing. From Sabah.com:

It is forbidden to open casinos in Turkey; however, casinos are abundant in Turkey. Only in Istanbul are casinos raided at a rate of one per day.

In the raids conducted by Istanbul police, around a thousand casinos have been uncovered, most of which had been spied on by hidden cameras. In these locations, 40 roulette tables, 25 blackjack tables and 3,800 people were caught. However, those taken in were released afterwards.

Around a thousand casinos have been uncovered in Istanbul, most of which serve special customers. Forty roulette tables, 25 blackjack tables and 3,800 people were seized in the raid.

It has been around 10 years since casinos’ doors were locked up. However, those who are fond of gambling and who used to prefer to go to Cyprus, are now starting to stay in the luxurious neighborhoods of Istanbul. Gambling was first continued in basements, but has since moved up to villas, residences and yachts. The casino scenes in “The Valley of Wolves” were shot at the Dalmaz Center, which opened eyes to the truth about casinos. The police have raided the Dalmaz Center six times, however those taken into custody were released every time. Within the last 3 years, in Istanbul police raids, around a thousand casino places have been uncovered, most of which, were spied on by hidden cameras. Forty roulette tables, 25 blackjack tables and 3,800 people were taken into custody, but were then released afterwards.

SABAH Newspaper English Edition - National - Casinos, forbidden but abundant

I’m not totally sure who was spying with the hidden cameras–the police, or the casino staff?

Posted in business of gambling

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David G. Schwartz

the die is cast

is the online home of David G. Schwartz, who writes extensively about Las Vegas, gambling, and history.

He's the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV and has a Ph.D. in United States history from UCLA. He's also taught a range of subjects, running the gamut from hospitality security to gambling history to writing creative non-fiction.

You can learn more about him on the about page.