Betsolutions’ Zeppelin Game Appears on Both Legal and Illegal Betting Platforms

In Turkey, the line between legal and illegal betting is becoming increasingly blurred. One recent example attracting public attention is Zeppelin, a crash-style game developed by Betsolutions. This game is not only available on so-called “illegal” betting sites, but also on state-regulated legal platforms such as Misli and Nesine. In other words, the same game circulates freely in both legal and illegal gambling ecosystems.

This raises serious questions among the public. There is ongoing debate over how regulatory bodies such as the Spor Toto Organization and the National Lottery Administration can collaborate with a game provider that has previously appeared—or is still active—on illegal betting sites. While Turkey claims to be taking a firm stance against illegal gambling, the presence of these games on state-backed platforms fuels allegations of double standards and regulatory shortcomings.

What is Betsolutions’ Zeppelin Game?

Zeppelin is one of the most successful examples of the “crash game” genre, which has rapidly gained popularity in the online gambling world in recent years. The gameplay is extremely simple: a zeppelin takes off, and the multiplier on the screen continuously increases as it ascends. Players must cash out before the zeppelin crashes. The longer they wait, the higher the potential payout — but wait too long, and the zeppelin will suddenly drop, causing the player to lose their entire bet.

This mechanic offers a high-risk, high-reward thrill that appeals to a broad audience. What makes Zeppelin particularly noteworthy is not just its gameplay, but the fact that it is available on both legal (e.g., Misli, Nesine) and illegal betting platforms. The main difference lies in the payout systems:

• On legal platforms, players’ winnings are usually credited as “game currency,” encouraging them to keep playing rather than withdrawing real money directly.

• On illegal platforms, winnings are often paid out in real money directly to the player’s account.

This contrast reveals that the distinction between “legal” and “illegal” is far less clear-cut than it appears, with both spheres operating in a closely intertwined manner.

Ali Babacan Cites Zeppelin as an Example: “The Legal Ones Are Also a Problem”

The economic and social risks created by the online gambling industry are not only a technical or legal issue — they have also become a political matter in Turkey. One prominent voice drawing attention to this is Ali Babacan, a former Minister of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister, now the leader of the opposition DEVA Party.

A few months ago, Babacan appeared on the YouTube program of Fatih Altaylı, one of Turkey’s most well-known journalists and television hosts. Altaylı, who has had a long career in mainstream media, has been in detention for about a month, which has further fueled debates over press freedom in the country.

In that interview, Babacan made striking remarks about both legal and illegal betting systems, using Zeppelin as an example. He argued that there is little real difference between the two in terms of the games offered:

“There’s actually not much of a difference between legal and illegal. Looking at the screens, there’s no difference in the games. In both, there’s a balloon — one launches a small balloon, the other a big balloon… No difference at all. When it’s legal, the politically connected media companies profit. When it’s illegal, others profit. The fight is with the illegal ones — why? Because when illegal grows, the legal’s revenue drops. In other words, the fight is about making sure my side profits, not the others. The legal ones are also a problem.”

Babacan’s comments raised serious questions about the transparency of state-approved betting platforms and the government’s true policy motives. The fact that identical games with the same interface and mechanics appear on both legal and illegal sites has led the public to question whether the state’s licensing system is truly about public interest, or primarily about securing revenue streams for those in power.

Zeppelin is Not the Only Game: Same Scenario, Different Brands in Turkey

In Turkey, the overlap between legal and illegal betting platforms is not limited to Zeppelin. The country’s gambling market features several other game providers whose products appear simultaneously in both state-licensed and unlicensed environments. This indicates that the issue is not confined to a few individual companies, but is instead a systemic, structural problem.

One such company is Galaxsys, an international developer of slot machines and crash-based games. In Turkey, Galaxsys operates on both legal and illegal platforms. Its most popular title is Ninja Crash, known locally as Çılgın Ninja, another crash-style game that is available on legal sites like Misli and Nesine.

Similarly, Turbo Games — another game provider — also has products in both markets. Its standout game, Fruit Tower (marketed in Turkey as Meyve Kulesi), appears on many legal platforms. Yet the same game is also active on illegal betting sites, often with only minor changes in design and with different payout systems.

The fact that these companies are able to operate in both legal and illegal spaces simultaneously raises important questions: Are the games on state-licensed platforms truly monitored and controlled? Or is there little to no oversight over the origins, distribution, and parallel presence of these games in unregulated markets?

This dual presence suggests that the Turkish betting ecosystem as a whole operates in a “grey zone,” where legal and illegal spheres are deeply intertwined.

How Are Games Like Zeppelin Allowed in Turkey?

The fact that the exact same game can exist in both legal and illegal environments raises an obvious question: How is this possible in Turkey’s gambling system? Here are the four main factors that explain it:

1. Flexible Legal Definitions

   • Turkish regulators classify games like Zeppelin not as “gambling” or “betting,” but as “games of chance” or “entertainment-based games.”

   • On licensed platforms, players typically receive winnings in the form of “game currency” rather than direct cash, encouraging them to keep playing instead of withdrawing money.

   • This creates a legal grey area: “No cash payouts means it’s not gambling” — at least on paper.

   • By framing it this way, the state can approve such games for legal platforms while minimizing legal liability.

2. Content Providers Exploiting the Grey Zone

   • Game developers like Betsolutions, Galaxsys, and Turbo Games supply their games to both legal and illegal platforms.

   • Regulation in Turkey focuses on the platform level, not the game provider level. In other words, the state asks: “Is this platform licensed?” but does not ask, “Where else does this game provider operate?”

   • As a result, a licensed game provider can legally supply a game to Misli (legal) and at the same time have that same game running on an illegal site without facing penalties.

3. An Established System of Economic Interests

   • The Turkish state directly profits from licensed betting platforms through:

     • Taxes

     • Licensing fees

     • A revenue share from games

   • This means the real competition is not necessarily against gambling itself, but over who gets the revenue.

   • As opposition leader Ali Babacan put it:

     “The fight is to make sure my side profits, not the others.”

4. Lack of Transparency and Oversight

   • In Turkey, there is no publicly accessible information about:

     • Which games are approved for state-licensed platforms

     • The criteria for approval

     • How the games and their technology are monitored

   • This lack of transparency creates a largely unregulated space where companies and platforms can operate without meaningful public scrutiny.