ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police launched an operation to detain 394 people over links to an illegal online sports betting organization, Hurriyet daily said on Friday.

Cyber crime fighting units determined the group set up more than 70 shell companies in food, cosmetics, and logistics sectors to facilitate online betting and other gambling games, it said.

Police confiscated more than 43 million lira ($8.3 million)and digital material in the early morning raids in Istanbul and 39 other provinces, the daily said.

($1 = 5.2046 liras)