Government Implements Strict Regulations to Eradicate Online Gambling in Indonesia

JAKARTA – The Indonesian government is increasingly serious in cracking down on online gambling practices that are disturbing the public.

In a meeting with Commission I of the DPR, the Director General of Digital Space Supervision Komdigi, Alexander Sabar, said that his party continues to fight against online gambling content that is easily accessible to the public through various platforms.

“The spread of online gambling is increasingly easy to access due to various modes, such as inserts on sites, social media applications, to blast messages on WhatsApp and SMS,” said Alex.

Alex explained that Komdigi has formed a special team consisting of 113 personnel who work 24 hours a day in three shifts for cyber patrols.

“The control team has the task and function of conducting cyber patrols, blocking illegal content, and receiving public complaints regarding gambling content,” he added.

Since 2017 to January 2025, Komdigi has handled 5,707,952 online gambling content spread across various sites and applications.

“The application is the most exposed platform, with 1,429,063 cases handled,” he said. Alex also highlighted the negative impacts of online gambling, such as financial losses, psychological disorders, and risks to personal data security.

Law enforcement is increasingly strengthened by the steps of the Cyber ​​Crime Directorate (Dittipidsiber) of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) which dismantled the RGOCasino online gambling syndicate.

Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji revealed that five suspects had been secured from Batam and Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

“Four suspects were arrested in Batam on December 5, 2024 and have been detained at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit Detention Center since December 6, 2024,” said Himawan.

They acted as customer service admins who offered online gambling games via WhatsApp.

The police confiscated evidence in the form of cars, motorbikes, laptops, cellphones, and cash worth IDR 1.6 billion from the syndicate.

The main suspect, HJ alias RJ alias Zeus, was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on December 18, 2024.

“HJ alias Zeus acted as the RGOCasino customer service manager and controlled 17 other online gambling websites,” Himawan explained.

*