Academics Support Government’s Total War on Online Gambling to the Roots

The government’s efforts to eradicate online gambling continue to receive support from various groups, including academics who see this problem as a serious threat to society.

Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies from the Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya, Radius Setiyawan, expressed his appreciation to the government for forming a special task force to handle this problem. According to him, this step is very relevant considering the social impact caused by online gambling.

“The problem of online gambling is a bit different. Who owns the practice? There must be a lot of people involved. This (task force) must be appreciated, but there are notes. The task force is relevant because the condition of online gambling is very worrying. It needs to be eradicated to the roots,” said Radius.

Radius also highlighted how online gambling endangers the imagination of the community, especially those who are under economic pressure. According to him, many people are trapped in the illusion of getting rich instantly through online gambling.

“Everyday they live under economic pressure. When there is an offer on social media, with a gadget you can earn this much, people are easily tempted and deceived. But we need to see, is he a victim or a perpetrator?” said Radius

He also reminded that the approach to the perpetrators must also consider the aspect of the victims who were deceived by the lure of getting rich quick.

In the same vein, the Executive Director of the Indonesian Digital Consumer Institute (LKDI), Abdul Kholik, M.Si, assessed the Police’s quick steps in carrying out the President’s instructions as a real action that deserves to be appreciated.

“We understand this as a war against online gambling. We are also proud and respect the Police’s quick action in immediately carrying out the President’s order to eradicate online gambling,” said Abdul.

Abdul added that this effort is expected not to stop at Komdigi employees who are only executors.

“What we expect from the Police is to arrest their superiors who gave them orders,” he continued.

The support from academics shows that eradicating online gambling is not only the responsibility of the government and law enforcement, but also requires collaboration from all elements of society to eradicate it to the roots.

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