Owner of PAPARA SuperMassive Arrested Amid Investigation into Money Laundering, Illegal Betting, and Organized Crime

Already struggling on the competitive front in League of Legends, PAPARA SuperMassive’s Spring took an alarming turn this Tuesday with potentially far-reaching consequences for the organization’s future. On Tuesday, Turkish authorities arrested thirteen individuals in connection with a criminal investigation into neobank PAPARA, the team's main sponsor. The allegations center on suspected money laundering, unlawful gambling, and ties to organized crime. Among those detained is Ahmed Faruk Karslı, the legal representative of PAPARA-related entities, held via the parent company PPR Inc., of which he is the majority shareholder.

According to corporate registry documents consulted by Sheep Esports, Ahmed Faruk Karslı holds equity stakes in both PAPARA and SuperMassive Esports. In fact, he is the owner of the club, but also its Chairman of the Board. This dual role raises significant concerns regarding the true nature of the relationship between the bank and the esports organization, and consequently, the club’s financial structure. SuperMassive also have rosters in VALORANT, Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Brawl Stars.

In the context of a financial crime investigation of this scale, Karslı’s dual involvement could, for instance, facilitate the transfer of funds under opaque or artificial pretenses—through inflated sponsorship agreements or mispriced services. His position may also enable mechanisms commonly associated with money laundering in high-risk sectors such as betting, or permit the embezzlement of funds via imbalanced contractual arrangements, including fictitious salaries or exploitative licensing of image rights. It is now up to the investigation to establish whether any ties to money laundering involving the club can be confirmed

The financial crimes division has revealed that over 26,000 individual accounts were allegedly used to conduct illegal online betting transactions, with a total volume reaching $330 million. As a result, SuperMassive Esports has been formally seized by judicial authorities, along with nine other companies, as well as the bank accounts and assets of the thirteen individuals arrested. The list of seized assets includes a yacht, five vessels, three safes, seventy-four vehicles, and seven residential properties.

The news emerged as Sheep Esports reported that Doğukan "113" Balcı had reached a verbal agreement to join the organization’s League of Legends roster. The jungler is returning to Turkey to compete in the TCL after a mixed start to the season with Team BDS in the LEC. At this stage, it is unclear if the allegations towards PAPARA may affect this agreement.

Despite being reigning champions and therefore winners of the first split of the 2025 season, the team finished in seventh place this Spring, with inabity to field their AD Carry due to visa issues. The organization had already begun efforts to recalibrate its roster, starting with a change in the jungle position—but it may now face challenges far beyond the scope of competition before it can once again set its sights on titles.

EDIT: Hakan Baş, who originally founded SuperMassive in 2016, is not implicated in the current investigation. Ownership of the organization transferred to Ahmed Faruk Karslı in 2023, following the formation of the new PAPARA SuperMassive entity.