Online Gambling Ruins Household Life and Increases Crime
Jakarta – The problem of online gambling is increasingly worrying because of its real impact on people’s lives.
Not only does it damage the stability of the household economy, online gambling also triggers an increase in crime cases.
Lecturer at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ Correctional Science Polytechnic, Imaduddin Hamzah, highlighted the serious impact of online gambling addiction on individuals and society.
“Online gambling not only damages financial conditions, but also triggers the degradation of moral values and criminal behavior,” he said.
According to him, gamblers who have been caught in this habit tend to lose their rationality and morality, which can even make them do unreasonable actions, such as selling their own children to meet their gambling needs.
This phenomenon, continued Imaduddin, shows how online gambling addiction has destroyed basic family values and worsened husband-wife relationships.
Sociologist at Airlangga University, Ratna Azis Prasetyo, added that poverty and a consumptive lifestyle are the main causes of the rise in online gambling.
“Those who are trapped in online gambling usually hope to get instant profits or feel that they will not lose if they lose,” he explained.
According to him, this condition has the potential to give rise to fraudulent behavior, divorce, and even criminal acts such as corruption and family neglect.
Ratna also emphasized that online gambling addiction is similar to alcohol or cigarette addiction which can cause mental disorders.
Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Syamsu Rizal, who is familiarly called Deng Ical, stated that online gambling must be considered a serious threat to national resilience.
“A young family in South Tangerang was found dead allegedly because they were caught in online gambling and online loans. This is included in the category of extraordinary crimes,” he said.
According to Deng Ical, online gambling not only has social impacts but also harms the country’s economy.
“More than IDR 1 trillion of online gambling proceeds have gone abroad. We are desperately inviting investors to come in, but our money is actually running away,” he said with great concern.
He emphasized that handling online gambling should not be done partially.
“The President must declare this a national emergency,” he said.
In addition, Deng Ical also highlighted that online gambling has trapped around 8 million Indonesians, most of whom are of productive age.
“They are no longer productive, instead they are trapped in a destructive game,” he added.
According to him, the problem of online gambling is not just an economic or criminal issue, but is a major threat to the future of the Indonesian generation.
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