Fenerbahçe President Sentenced in Illegal Betting Advertising Case

The ruling was delivered by the Istanbul 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance. Saran and his brother, Alan Kenan Saran, were convicted of facilitating unauthorized sports-betting promotions through football matches broadcast on the S Sport streaming platform. Both men were also ordered to pay a judicial fine of TL 562,500 ($12,235).

The case focused on broadcasts aired by S Sport, a platform operating under Saran Holding, the company founded by Sadettin Saran in 1990. Prosecutors alleged that illegal betting advertisements appeared during football matches through stadium perimeter boards as well as digitally inserted virtual advertising behind the goals.

According to the indictment, Turkey's broadcasting regulator RTÜK reviewed match transmissions aired in 2023 by Saran Internet Television Broadcasting Inc. The regulator concluded that the broadcasts contained betting advertisements that were not authorized under Turkish gambling and advertising regulations.

Prosecutors argued that responsibility extended beyond production staff to senior executives who approved and oversaw the broadcasts. They maintained that company leaders could be held accountable for content distributed under their authority if they were aware of the unauthorized advertising.

Both defendants denied the allegations throughout the trial and requested acquittal during the final hearing.

The verdict comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal gambling in Turkey. In a recent nationwide investigation spanning 27 provinces, authorities identified approximately TL 193.37 billion in transactions linked to suspected illegal betting activities and launched legal proceedings against 104 suspects.