Mehmet Ali Erbil is before the judge for "encouraging illegal betting"

The hearing held at the Istanbul Courthouse was attended by the defendant Mehmet Ali Erbil, who is not in custody, and his lawyers.

Erbil stated during his identification that he was a theater artist and declared that his monthly income was between 300-400 thousand liras.

Later, Erbil, who made his defense, said that he and Serdar Ortaç were invited to Malta for the opening of a hotel, and that they were tried to put him on a live broadcast where illegal betting was advertised.

Stating that they were not here to advertise, Erbil said, "Even great professors are being deceived. This has nothing to do with career or age. Our foresight has also been blocked. I feel ashamed to be here for such a shameful crime."

Serdar Ortaç, who testified at the hearing, stated that they were suddenly interviewed while they were having dinner at the hotel they went to in Malta.

Ortaç said that the place they were in suddenly turned into a gambling environment and that they looked for a plane to escape from there with Erbil, but they could not find one, and they left Malta the next morning.

The public prosecutor, who announced his opinion on the merits of the case, demanded that the defendant Mehmet Ali Erbil be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison and a judicial fine of up to 3,000 days.

The defendants' lawyers requested time to make a statement against the opinion.

The judge, who announced his interim decision, gave time to the defendant and his lawyer to prepare their defense against the prosecutor's opinion and adjourned the hearing to March 11.

From the indictment

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office demands that Erbil be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison and a judicial fine of up to 3,000 days for "encouraging people to advertise and otherwise play fixed-odds or pari-mutuel betting or games of chance based on sports competitions."

The indictment states that individuals referred to as "social media influencers" in different categories such as sports, beauty, travel, fashion, technology, health or entertainment on the internet have an influence in society due to their number of followers and recognition. It also explains that an investigation was launched after it was determined that some of the influencers were carrying out activities that encouraged and promoted illegal betting by placing advertisements on the videos and photos they published on social media platforms.

The indictment states that the crime of illegal betting harms public morality, society, the protection of children from gambling, and the financial interests of those who organize betting and games of chance with the authority granted by the state, as well as public institutions and organizations that receive a share of the income of these individuals. Although the Spor Toto Organization Presidency is legally harmed by the crime, it is emphasized that the negative reflections it creates in a moral sense encourage young people in particular to make easy money, and therefore the real victim is society.

Considering Mehmet Ali Erbil's reputation and recognition in the media sector, it is stated in the indictment that he cannot be expected to accept every invitation from people with whom he did not know or have any prior friendship or acquaintance without any benefit. It is claimed that this situation is within the scope of benefit, considering that Erbil went to Malta, stayed and was hosted.

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