Indonesian Government Invites Public to Be Aware of the Dangers of Online Gambling Advertisements

JAKARTA – The government through the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) reminded the public to be careful with online gambling advertisements that are rampant on social media. The Director of Media Management of the Directorate General of Public Communication and Media (KPM) of Kemkomdigi, Nursodik Gunarjo, emphasized that clicking on online gambling advertisements can endanger the security of personal data.

“When we click on an online gambling advertisement, the algorithm in the advertisement will record our personal data. Even though it has been deleted, the advertisement can appear again with a different appearance later,” said Nursodik.

Nursodik explained that Kemkomdigi has attempted to delete online gambling accounts and their affiliates, but the advertisements continue to appear with different names.

“From 2017 to December 4, 2024, the Ministry of Communication and Digital has handled more than 5.3 million online gambling accounts. A significant increase occurred in 2024 with 3.6 million blocked accounts, a three-fold increase compared to 2023,” he explained.

In addition, Nursodik said that online gambling players are dominated by the 30-50 year age group, which reached 1.84 million people. Even more concerning, data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital also recorded that there were around 30 thousand children under the age of 10 who were involved in online gambling.

“For parents, if children suddenly spend more time in their rooms, it could be an indication that they are caught up in online gambling,” he added.

The negative impacts of online gambling are enormous, ranging from financial losses, decreased productivity, mental health disorders, to social and legal problems. Nursodik stated that most online gambling players start from the trial and error phase, which eventually becomes trapped in addiction.

In an effort to eradicate online gambling, Kemkomdigi is working with the National Police, Bank Indonesia, the Financial Services Authority, and providing an account checking platform to ensure whether an account is involved in a crime.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, also appealed to Kemkomdigi to work more optimally in eradicating online gambling.

“Online gambling is actually a large-scale fraud that harms the purchasing power of the lower class,” he said.

Muhaimin emphasized the importance of closing all online gambling sites to protect the public from further losses.

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