President Prabowo Calls for Total War on Online Gambling
By: Kemal Mukti )*
President Prabowo Subianto continues to demonstrate his commitment to eradicating online gambling practices in Indonesia. In this effort, the government is not only targeting the perpetrators, but also completely breaking up the crime network. This step is part of the call for total war on online gambling, which is considered to not only damage public morals, but also result in significant economic losses.
This commitment is realized through the formation of the Online Gambling Eradication Desk involving various state institutions, including the Police, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), and the Directorate General of Immigration. In the past few months, the synergy between these agencies has succeeded in uncovering three major cases of online gambling networks operating domestically and abroad.
One of the biggest cases involved the H5GF777 gambling site, whose management is allegedly controlled by two suspects with the initials MIA and AL. The two suspects are said to have used a company called PT GMM Giat Pelangkah Maju to facilitate payments for online gambling activities.
In this operation, the police, led by the Director of Cyber Crime at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji, managed to seize assets worth IDR 47 billion spread across various payment service provider accounts. This success is one of the real proofs of the intensity of law enforcement carried out by the Police under the direct direction of the President.
Another case that was successfully uncovered was the RGO Casino site network. In this case, five suspects were successfully secured, including a suspect known as HJ alias Zeus. HJ is suspected of having a strategic role as the operational manager and controller of 17 other online gambling sites and is known to travel regularly between Jakarta and Cambodia to train and recruit admin staff for the gambling sites. In addition, the assets confiscated in this case include cash worth more than IDR 1.6 billion, a number of luxury vehicles, and operational equipment.
The Police also managed to uncover the Agent 138 site network, which involved several suspects such as JO, JG, AHL, and KW. However, one of the main suspects suspected of being the mastermind of this network, with the initials KK, is still at large. This operation continues to be developed to track the flow of funds involved, including the seizure of assets such as the Arus Hotel which is said to be connected to the network. In this case, the National Police ensured that the investigation will continue until all parties involved can be brought to justice.
Himawan also explained that the war on online gambling is not only about law enforcement, but also saving public morals and protecting state assets. President Prabowo has paid great attention to this problem and instructed intensive coordination between various institutions to ensure that this crime is eradicated to its roots.
He emphasized the importance of educating the public about the risks posed by online gambling. This practice not only causes financial losses, but also has a negative impact on mental health and the security of personal data. Therefore, the public is urged to report the existence of suspicious sites or content so that the authorities can take immediate action.
In addition to law enforcement, the PPATK plays an important role in supporting the eradication of online gambling by analyzing financial transactions to identify perpetrators and the flow of funds.
The Director of Strategy and Domestic Cooperation of the PPATK, Brigadier General Muhammad Irhamni, stated that his party had provided comprehensive information regarding the flow of funds, which helped accelerate the disclosure of these major cases. Close collaboration between PPATK and the National Police has produced information that has accelerated action against the perpetrators.
On the other hand, Komdigi through the Illegal Internet Content Control Team has contributed by blocking thousands of online gambling sites that continue to emerge with new domains. In addition, the Head of the Komdigi Illegal Gambling Internet Content Control Team, Menharik Nur, said that digital literacy is also being intensified to increase public awareness of the dangers of online gambling. This step aims to prevent people from getting caught up in gambling practices that are financially and psychologically detrimental.
The government’s success in exposing and prosecuting online gambling networks is also reflected in the transaction data reported by PPATK. During the last nine months of 2024, the value of online gambling transactions reached IDR 41.2 trillion, although it showed a downward trend in each quarter.
