Online gambling is becoming increasingly rampant. Online gambling has affected millions of people, including students, ride-hailing drivers, homemakers, and security personnel. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) recorded suspicious financial transactions, primarily related to online gambling, totaling more than Rp600 trillion in the first quarter of 2024. This amount is equivalent to 20 percent of the state budget.

The number of online gambling players has reached 3.2 million people. Over the past two years, PPATK has detected and blocked 5,000 bank accounts related to online gambling. The average transaction amount for online gamblers in Indonesia is approximately Rp100,000. About 80 percent of the 3.2 million online gamblers make transactions averaging Rp100,000, with many of the participants coming from the lower-middle class.

According to PPATK, the cumulative turnover of online gambling transactions continues to rise. In 2021, PPATK tracked Rp57 trillion in money flow from online gambling. This increased to Rp81 trillion in 2022. The figure skyrocketed in 2023, with transaction values reaching Rp327 trillion. Many consider Indonesia to be experiencing an “online gambling emergency.”

Eradicating online gambling as an extraordinary crime cannot be carried out with ordinary measures. President Joko Widodo has established the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force, which comprises multiple ministries and agencies. The formation of this Task Force is outlined in Presidential Decree No. 21 of 2024 on the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force, issued in Jakarta on 14 June 2024.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, chairs the task force, which includes members from various institutions such as the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture,  the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Attorney General's Office, the Indonesian Military, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency, the State Intelligence Agency, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Bank Indonesia, and the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Presidential Decree No. 21/2024 states that the Online Gambling Task Force was established to effectively and efficiently prevent online gambling and enforce laws. The task force is formulating strategies for eradicating online gambling across various agencies, including internationally.

After being officially established, the Task Force moved quickly, having a working meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon (19 June). The meeting was chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, along with the Minister of Communications and Informatics, Budi Arie Setiadi, and PPATK Head, Ivan Yustiavandana.

Task Force Actions

Based on the meeting results, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto revealed that the government will carry out three operations over the next two weeks: freezing accounts, cracking down on account trading, and taking action against online game transactions through stores top-ups.

The Task Force Head explained that based on PPATK reports, 4,000 to 5,000 suspicious accounts have already been blocked. PPATK will soon report to investigators at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) to freeze these accounts for 20 days.

“If no one reports within 30 days, based on the District Court's decision, the money assets in those accounts will be seized and turned over to the state. After the 30-day notice, the police will summon the account holders for further investigation and legal proceedings,” said Hadi Tjahjanto.

Regarding account trading, which primarily occurs between sellers and buyers in villages or rural areas, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs stated that the enforcement will involve village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) and police’s security and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas). The Online Gambling Eradication Task Force Head has requested the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Investigation Agency and the Deputy Chief of the Indonesian Military Police Center to assist in eradicating this account trading.

The National Police stated that they had previously taken concrete steps to eradicate online gambling before the task force was formed. Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji, Director of Cyber Crime at the Criminal Investigation Agency, indicated that the cyber units from the Bareskrim to the Regional Police level have been intensively uncovering online gambling cases since 2022.

“We have carried out law enforcement operations across Indonesia, with 3,975 cases in the last three years involving 5,982 suspects. Websites blocked in the last three years totaled 40,642 sites, with 4,196 frozen accounts and Rp817.4 billion in seized assets,” said Himawan at the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Friday (22 June).

Public Education Campaign on Gambling Dangers

In line with its prevention role within the Task Force for Online Gambling Eradication, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics continues to conduct extensive education and campaign efforts through collaborations with various ministries, educational institutions, and broadcasting agencies operating in Indonesia.

According to Minister of Communications and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi, the ministry has worked with mobile operators to send out SMS blasts on a regular basis to inform the public about the dangers of online gambling. Additionally, the ministry has requested RRI (Radio Republik Indonesia) to broadcast public service announcements about the dangers of online gambling every hour on its radio broadcasts.

The ministry has also taken down a total of 2,945,150 online gambling content from Jul. 17, 2023, to Jun. 13, 2024. According to Minister Budi Arie, the ministry has also requested Bank Indonesia to cancel 555 e-wallet accounts associated with online gambling activities during the same period. This includes submitting requests to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to block 5,779 bank accounts related to online gambling, a process that has been ongoing since 18 September 2023 and will end on 28 May 2024.

The ministry has also handled 16,596 instances of gambling content on educational websites and 18,974 on government websites from 17 July 2023 to 13 June 2024. “We have also issued strong warnings to the managers of digital platforms such as X, Telegram, Google, Meta, and TikTok,” said the Minister of Communications and Informatics, underlining that the country cannot afford to lose to online gambling operators.

Writer: Kristantyo Wisnubroto

Editors: Ratna Nuraini/Elvira Inda Sari/Siti Chodijah

Translator: Wisnu Wardoyo