Three Turkish celebrities have been met with legal action after returning home from Malta, accused of illegally promoting gambling while visiting the country.

DJ and social media personality Kerimcan Durmaz was released from jail in Turkey earlier this week after being accused of encouraging illegal gambling during a performance in Malta.

Durmaz was arrested last month after footage emerged showing gambling websites advertised on a large screen behind him while he was performing at a Maltese club, according to local news reports.

Meanwhile, pop singer Serdar Ortaç and TV actor and comedian Mehmet Ali Erbil were placed under house arrest at the end of last year accused of involvement in publicity stunts in Malta to promote illegal gambling. 

The two appeared in viral videos allegedly showing them playing a betting game and encouraging gambling, while sat beside a man linked to a gaming company, according to Türkiye Today.

Gambling is tightly controlled in Turkey and restricted to state-approved organisations, while advertising illegal betting outlets is punishable by prison time and fines.

Footage of the performance that landed social media star Durmaz in hot water shows him DJing on stage while animated poker chips and cards and the names of betting companies are displayed behind him.

Durmaz was accused of advertising gambling during his performance. Screenshot: NTV/INSTAGRAM

In a statement to prosecutors recently, Durmaz named the club as Toy Room Malta in St Julian’s, according to Turkish online news platform Mynet. His November performance was advertised on the Toy Room Malta Facebook page.

Prosecutors alleged Durmaz had knowingly advertised gambling. They pushed for a prison sentence of up to five years and three months, arguing his large social media following meant his activities posed a greater risk, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.

Rejecting the allegations, the DJ, who has amassed 3.8 million followers on Instagram, said he was not aware of the images being displayed on the screen behind him and only realised after seeing social media clips of the performance afterwards.

“I was very careful not to have these advertisements when sharing the visuals of me on stage on my own profile. I definitely did not advertise betting from my own account,” reported NTV.

Defending himself in court, Durmaz said that despite providing the venue with a USB stick of YouTube videos shot in Malta that could be displayed behind him, “they [the club] projected an image of an illegal betting advertisement without my knowledge.”

Times of Malta attempted to reach Toy Room Malta for comment.

Champagne

The prosecution argued the DJ would have seen the images on the screen after turning round during his performance and said he could be heard in the footage saying, “You know, casinos and such.”

Durmaz responded that his words had been taken out of context and said he had been requesting more champagne, which he had learned was stocked by a casino attached to his hotel.

“I normally get a lot of champagne, but this time I didn’t get the champagne I wanted. I learned that there was a casino at the hotel... but the part where I said the champagne I wanted was cut,” NTV reported.

He denied seeing the adverts when turning round, instead saying he had only turned to thank women bringing him drinks. 

“I did not commit this crime, I am requesting my release,” he said. Durmaz was released following the first hearing of his case earlier this week.

It is not clear whether the case against Durmaz will continue.

‘Tricked’

Meanwhile, in videos that went viral on social media, Erbil and Ortaç were seen sitting next to a man wearing a T-shirt sporting the name of a betting company, while allegedly playing betting games and giving him gambling advice.

Both deny the charges, with Ortaç claiming he had been “tricked” by bookmakers after attending a hotel inauguration and restaurant opening. 

“While there, they tricked me and filmed the game on my phone,” the singer said in a statement, adding Erbil had also become involved “without him knowing either” according to Türkiye Today.

Disavowing betting, Ortaç said “this gambling curse keeps causing trouble in my life... They got me into their game. Everyone’s become a gambler... If you don’t quit, this will happen to you too.”

The outlet said Ortaç had previously struggled with gambling in the past, causing him to lose money. 

Erbil claimed the videos had been shot as a “memory” of the trip and said he had not known the T-shirts were linked to a betting company.

The actor said he had argued with the owner of the company after finding out a T-shirt he had refused to wear had sported a gambling advert, adding he had also refused an offer of up to €25,000 to promote the company.

Prosecutors requested prison sentences of up to three years for both men, according to local media reports. 

Crackdown

The arrests appear to be part of a major crackdown by Turkish authorities led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with local media reporting the arrests of dozens of public figures, particularly social media influencers, over the past few months. 

In December, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya took to social media to announce that 27 people had been arrested as part of operation “CYBERAĞ-13” on charges of “illegal betting and virtual gambling”.

The four-month investigation by the country’s cybercrime department and its chief prosecutor targeted social media users with high numbers of followers that were advertising or encouraging illegal gambling, he said. 

“Illegal betting is an element of crime that threatens the future of not only individuals, but also society,” wrote Yerlikaya.