Government Steps to Eradicate Online Gambling Yield Positive Results
By: Arsenio Bagas Pamungkas )*
The Indonesian government continues to demonstrate its commitment to eradicating online gambling practices that are increasingly disturbing the public. The concrete steps taken have yielded positive results with a significant decline in online gambling transactions throughout 2024. This is proof that the policies and regulations implemented have been effective in suppressing the circulation of this illegal activity.
Based on the quarterly evaluation report, the Director General of Digital Space Supervision of the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemkominfo), Alexander Sabar, reported that online gambling transactions have decreased quite drastically over time.
In the first quarter of 2024, online gambling transactions still reached IDR 21 trillion, but fell to IDR 16 trillion in the second quarter, and further decreased to IDR 4 trillion in the third quarter. This shows that the various enforcement efforts that have been carried out have begun to have a real impact on online gambling practices in Indonesia.
In the Hearing Meeting (RDP) of the Online Gambling Working Committee (Panja) Commission I at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Alexander explained that the steps taken by the government in dealing with online gambling are based on three main regulations.
These regulations include Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions, Government Regulation Number 71 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Electronic Systems and Transactions, and Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Information Number 5 of 2020 concerning Private Electronic System Organizers. With these regulations, the government has a strong basis in taking action and closing access to sites and applications involved in online gambling practices.
In addition, the Ministry of Communication and Information is also actively conducting research and analysis to identify new modes in online gambling practices. This effort involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to filter and verify content related to online gambling.
The actions taken are not limited to blocking websites, but also include cutting off access to mobile numbers and messaging applications used in gambling transactions. The integrity of the team handling the eradication of online gambling is also strictly maintained through an integrity pact and periodic assessments of team members.
The commitment to eradicating online gambling also received special attention from the Chief of Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who emphasized that all of his staff must work optimally in overcoming this problem.
General Listyo highlighted the major impact of online gambling on society, especially the lower classes and minors. Therefore, he instructed his staff to continue to enforce the law firmly and coordinate with various parties to resolve this problem.
The instructions given include examining the involvement of Polri members in online gambling activities, enforcing the law against the perpetrators, and implementing the money laundering crime article (TPPU) to confiscate the assets of major bookies. This step is considered important to ensure that online bookies no longer have the financial resources to run their operations.
In line with that, the Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid, emphasized that online gambling is a serious threat to the country. In 100 days of her leadership, Kemkomdigi has succeeded in removing more than 882,352 online gambling-related content from various digital platforms. This effort was carried out through collaboration with various digital platforms, where the majority of blocked content came from websites and IP addresses, while the rest was spread on social media platforms.
As part of the follow-up steps, Menkomdigi has begun implementing administrative sanctions on February 1, 2025, to Electronic System Organizers in the Private User-Generated Content (PSE UGC) scope who do not comply with regulations. This is a form of government assertiveness in controlling platforms that allow the spread of online gambling content.
Concerns about the impact of online gambling were also voiced by Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PKB Faction, Syamsu Rizal, who considered that online gambling needs to be declared a national emergency. According to him, the negative impact of online gambling is increasingly widespread, and has even caused tragedies in society.
He highlighted a tragic case in South Tangerang, where a young family was found dead due to being entangled in online gambling and online loans. This case reflects how online gambling not only damages the individual economy, but also has a huge social impact.
