Government Tightens Blocking of Online Gambling Content
By: Arya Pradipta
The government is tightening blocking of online gambling content as a decisive step to keep the digital space clean, safe, and healthy. This effort is not merely law enforcement, but also a form of protection for the public from social, economic, and digital security threats posed by the increasingly widespread practice of online gambling.
The Director General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Alexander Sabar, explained that from October 20, 2024, to September 16, 2025, more than 2.8 million pieces of negative content have been processed for removal from Indonesia’s digital space. Of that number, 2.1 million pieces of content are directly related to online gambling.
Alexander detailed that the content included 1,932,131 pieces of content on websites or IPs, 97,779 pieces of content from file-sharing platforms, 94,004 pieces of content on Meta, 35,092 pieces of content on Google, 17,417 pieces of content on platform X, 1,742 pieces of content on Telegram, 1,001 pieces of content on TikTok, 14 pieces of content on Line, and three pieces of content on app stores. This number, if compared to the seats at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, is 20 times the stadium’s capacity. This illustrates the massive and serious threat online gambling poses to the nation’s digital ecosystem.
Alexander emphasized that the removal of this type of content is not an attempt to silence public criticism or aspirations, but rather purely to prevent the spread of dangerous and illegal content. He also mentioned the existence of the Content Moderation Compliance System (SAMAN), which has been in trial for one year and is scheduled to end next month.
SAMAN is a crucial instrument for ensuring that circulating content complies with regulations and keeps the digital space safe, healthy, and productive. Alexander encouraged the public not to hesitate to report online gambling content through the established complaint channels, so that public participation can strengthen the government’s efforts to rid the digital world of illegal content.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, through the Assistant Deputy for Data Protection and Electronic Transactions Coordination, Syaiful Garyadi, emphasized that online gambling is a multidimensional threat. Its impact is not limited to legal violations but also impacts social stability, the economy, and national digital security. At a coordination meeting on collaborative cyber patrol policies in Bogor, Syaiful revealed that since 2017, more than 7 million pieces of online gambling content have been blocked. However, a greater problem arises as new sites continue to emerge.
In fact, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency recorded that more than 10,000 government websites have been defaced with online gambling content. This fact proves that blocking alone is not enough. There is an urgent need to strengthen cybersecurity comprehensively. Syaiful emphasized the need for a national strategy based on collaboration, technology, literacy, and public participation. This aligns with the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs’ commitment as a cross-sectoral coordinator, striving to unify the actions of various relevant agencies.
The strategies developed include community-based collaborative cyber patrols, inter-agency data integration, and strengthening adaptive regulations to address the ever-changing nature of online gambling. Follow-up recommendations were agreed upon at the meeting, including the establishment of a collaborative cyber patrol forum with monthly evaluations, monitoring of cyber incidents by the National Cyber and Cyber Security Agency (BSSN), and the development of artificial intelligence-based technology and digital literacy programs involving academics and IT practitioners. The government hopes these measures will suppress the spread of online gambling while strengthening national digital resilience.
The threat of online gambling apparently extends beyond cyberspace and has also penetrated social life, even into social assistance programs that should be instruments of public welfare. In Bandung City, the City Government, through the local Social Service, halted the distribution of social assistance to more than a thousand beneficiary families suspected of being involved in online gambling.
The Head of the Bandung City Social Service, Yorisa Sativa, stated that the suspension was based on verification by the Ministry of Social Affairs through data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center. Of the 15,759 social assistance recipients in Bandung, 1,207 families were identified as actively engaging in online gambling.
These include 237 families receiving the Family Hope Program, 702 receiving the Staple Food Program, and 268 receiving both. Yorisa explained that most of the recipients had previously received assistance, but due to their involvement in online gambling, their benefits were suspended.
