Indonesian Government Revokes Social Assistance for Recipients Involved in Online Gambling
Jakarta – Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated that the government will not tolerate recipients of social assistance (Bansos) who are proven to misuse funds for online gambling (judol). He emphasized that the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) will revoke the distribution of social assistance if the recipient is suspected or proven to have engaged in such practices.
“Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf, also known as Gus Ipul, stated that he will revoke the distribution of social assistance if the recipient misuses funds for online gambling,” the Minister stated.
Data analysis by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reveals the scale of this misuse. Entering 2025, PPATK reported that in the first half of this year, 78,000 social assistance recipients were still suspected of online gambling. The recorded transaction value was not small, namely IDR 542.5 billion from more than 3.7 million transactions, involving 132,557 recipients.
“Referring to the social assistance account data we received, we found a total online gambling deposit of Rp 542,540,667,766, in 3,754,275 transactions, involving 132,557 social assistance recipients,” said Gus Ipul at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Central Jakarta.
At the regional level, firm action has also begun. In Batu City, East Java, the Social Services Agency removed 186 social assistance recipients from the participant list due to their involvement in online gambling. The Head of the Batu City Social Services Agency, Lilik Fariha, stated that the data was obtained from the Ministry of Social Affairs and will then be followed up at the regional level.
“Yes, a total of 186 social assistance recipients in Batu City have been removed from their participant status due to their involvement in online gambling,” he confirmed on Friday (September 12, 2025).
Lilik added that the main purpose of social assistance is to help people meet basic needs such as staple foods and healthcare costs, not for misuse. He hopes the public will truly use this assistance wisely.
In East Java specifically, the number of social assistance recipients suspected of online gambling reached 9,771 people, with total transactions worth IDR 53 billion. This figure indicates that the misuse of social assistance for online gambling is not just sporadic, but on a significant scale.
The Ministry of Social Affairs, along with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and law enforcement officials, is committed to taking firm action against all forms of misuse of social assistance funds. The government wants to ensure that the social assistance program is truly targeted and does not leak funds for illegal activities. This step also emphasizes the government’s commitment to eradicating online gambling, which is increasingly disturbing the public.
[w.R]
