Popular live streaming websites Twitch and Kick have been banned in Turkey over concerns about gambling.
On February 21, 2024, claims started surfacing across social media forums that kick has been blocked in the country. As per a report from journalist Ibrahim Haskoloğlu, Turkish officials have stated that “Kick’s entry into Turkey was to attract Turkish youth to roulette.”
Two days following the ban on Kick, Turkey’s National Lottery Association also reportedly imposed a ban on its competitor, Twitch.
Haskoloğlu asserted that access to the site would be terminated within 24 hours, alleging that the BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority in Turkey) had initiated an investigation into Twitch following reports from Kick broadcasters about similar content being streamed on the platform.
In Turkey, gambling is classified as a misdemeanor, while facilitating gambling by providing a venue and opportunity is considered a criminal offense.
The Turkish government isn’t new to the practice of banning access to websites either. According to a report by the Istanbul-based Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), Turkey had issued access bans to approximately 137,717 websites in 2022.
