Combating Online Gambling, Indonesian Government Strengthens Law Enforcement
Jakarta – The government’s efforts to eradicate online gambling continue through strict law enforcement and supervision.
The East Java Regional Police Cyber Investigation Directorate has succeeded in dismantling an international online gambling syndicate involved in money laundering (TPPU). Six people have been named as suspects in this case.
Head of Sub-Directorate II of the East Java Regional Police Cyber Investigation Directorate, AKBP Charles P Tampubolon, revealed the large amount of money circulating in the network.
“The money circulating in the online gambling website account within a period of 6 months reached 200 billion,” he said.
The disclosure of this case began with a cyber patrol carried out by Unit II of Sub-Directorate II of the East Java Regional Police Cyber Investigation Directorate.
“From the results of monitoring social media, we found two Instagram accounts, one of whose posts actively promoted an online gambling site. The two accounts are @orkesanbanyuwangi and @dangdut_banyuwangi,” explained Charles.
In addition to revealing cases, the government is also strengthening its strategy through banking supervision.
Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid asked banks that are members of the State-Owned Bank Association (Himbara) to tighten supervision of accounts that are suspected of being involved in online gambling.
“We at the Ministry of Communication and Digital continue to block online gambling sites periodically. However, access to the bank accounts used also needs to be closely monitored,” said Meutya.
She added that blocking bank accounts would be more difficult to restore compared to blocked sites.
“If the account is blocked, the administration will be much more difficult because it must go through the bank. This is one of the keys to reducing the number of online gambling transactions,” she said.
Synergy between law enforcement and banking supervision is an important step in eradicating online gambling. The government hopes that with this approach, illegal practices that harm the community can be minimized.
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