Government Increases Socialization of the Dangers of Online Gambling

Jakarta – Collaboration between the government and the community is key in efforts to eradicate online gambling which is increasingly disturbing.

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo emphasized the importance of the role of families, especially parents, in supervising children so that they do not fall into online gambling practices.

“We must routinely check our children’s cellphones so that we can find out what is happening. If not done, our young generation will slowly experience damage,” said the National Police Chief.

He explained that online gambling has now targeted almost all groups, including children, with various game modes that attract their attention.

“There needs to be greater awareness from the community in anticipating this threat,” he added.

The Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid also emphasized the importance of the role of schools in protecting students from the dangers of online gambling.

The government, said Meutya, continues to ensure that the development of digital infrastructure, empowerment of MSMEs, and technology education runs optimally to create a healthier digital ecosystem.

“Educating children is not only related to technology. The role of parents and teachers in providing guidance is the main key to supervising and regulating the use of technology so that it is not excessive,” said Meutya.

Meutya also highlighted the importance of equalizing telecommunications infrastructure and distributing educational materials to increase students’ awareness of negative content, including online gambling and illegal online loans.

“Digital literacy is the main defense against negative content. Parents and teachers must be actively involved, not only supervising, but also providing in-depth understanding to children,” she added.

Meanwhile, Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PKB Faction, Syamsu Rizal, assessed that online gambling had reached a worrying stage and needed to be designated as a ‘national emergency’ condition. According to him, many people have become victims so that all stakeholders must work together to eradicate this practice.

“The President should immediately make this regulation in a national emergency situation. Online gambling not only has social impacts but also has an impact on the national economy,” he said.

Based on PPATK data, more than IDR 1 trillion in proceeds from online gambling flowed abroad. Of the total population of Indonesia, around 40 million people have been affected by online gambling, with around 8 million of them active as players.

“The number of judol players in Indonesia is around 8 million people. This is a sad reality. They are not involved in productive activities, but are instead trapped in misleading judol games,” he continued.

Rizal emphasized the importance of early prevention so that children are not easily exposed to online gambling. He called for the role of parents and the school environment in providing supervision and restrictions on the use of gadgets for children.

“There must be restrictions on the use of social media for children and elements of education and families must be involved to prevent them from being easily exposed to judol,” he concluded.

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