Jakarta. Online gambling has become the new social pandemic in Indonesia, and the country is getting into full battle mode as many people get hooked on making bets online — be it young or old, rich or poor, and even government officials.

Online gambling is not something new in Indonesia. In 1987, dangdut legend Rhoma Irama even released the song “Judi” [‘Gambling’], warning how detrimental the practice was. The lyrics even said: “Judi meracuni kehidupan. Judi meracuni keimanan. Pasti, karena perjudian orang malas dibuai harapan. [‘Gambling destroys lives. Gambling ruins one’s faith. Because gambling woos the lazy with false hope.’]”

Almost four decades have passed since the song’s release, and many Indonesians still get addicted to gambling. The fight against gambling is now harder than ever as the practice has moved online. So almost anyone can place their bets anywhere and anytime as these platforms lure them with promises of easy wins.

According to the Online Gambling Task Force, Indonesia is home to 4 million online gamblers. About 40 percent of them are between 31-50 years old, meaning they are still part of the productive age population. But the task force also revealed another harrowing fact: 80,000 of those who are addicted to online gambling are younger than 10 years old. And 440,000 others are only between 11-20 years old.

The task force’s data showed that West Java has the most online gamblers, reaching around 535,644 people with transactions totaling Rp 3.4 trillion (almost $208.4 million), followed by Jakarta with 238,508 players and Rp 2.3 trillion in transactions. 

The task force also revealed that 80 percent of Indonesian online gamblers were of the middle to lower status. They usually paid Rp 10,000 (less than $1) to play, and the transaction value could go up to Rp 100,000. Sociologist Sigit Rochadi even blamed the low starting fee on why many people got tempted into online gambling.

Every year, suspicious transactions related to online gambling keep soaring, according to the financial intelligence unit PPATK. The body said that online gambling transactions amounted to Rp 2.01 trillion in 2017. However, the numbers had jumped to Rp 327 trillion in 2023 and had even topped Rp 100 trillion in just the first quarter of 2024.

Indonesia is also witnessing more online gambling-induced deaths. Last month, a Mojokerto policewoman made headlines for setting her husband — who was also a cop  — on fire. The policewoman reportedly lost her temper after the husband spent his annual bonus for online gambling. Not long after, military officer Prada PS committed suicide because of online gambling in Bogor.

Married couples are also getting divorced here and there. As a case in point, 70 percent of the divorces happening in the West Java city of Depok so far this year were caused by online gambling. 

And again, it is affecting almost everyone. PPATK alleged that 1,000 legislators across the country had been gambling online. There were 63,000 transactions that could be traced to these lawmakers, and they reached Rp 25 billion in value. As many as 164 journalists also got addicted to online gambling, These journalists allegedly had made 6,899 transactions worth almost Rp 1.5 billion. 

The government also revealed that people in rural areas had been making fraudulent bank accounts and selling them to bookmakers. 

So What’s the Government’s Plan?
The aforementioned figures show how rampant online gambling has become in Indonesia.

The Communications Ministry reported that they had closed access to 2.95 million online gambling content on July 17, 2023, to June 13, 2024. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had repeatedly told people to not fall for the online gambling trap. 

“Please don’t gamble online. If you have money, it is best to save it or use it for your business,” Jokowi said.

The government is now banking on what it calls the online gambling task force — led by Chief Security Minister Hadi Tjahjanto. This newly established task force has blocked up to 5,000 bank accounts that were suspected of being involved in online gambling. They are also planning to take action against those involved in the making or purchasing of fraudulent bank accounts. The same goes for activities related to online game top-ups that are online gambling. The task force also plans to step up their anti-gambling campaigns as preventive measures.

Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo recently threatened to impose administrative sanctions against officers who got caught gambling online. These officers could also get fired from their jobs. Likewise, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said he would fire any acting regional heads who gamble online. Sanctions for sub-national government heads –who got their position through the elections– would include written warnings.

Senior Minister Muhadjir Effendy also advised people — particularly those in the rural areas — against making fraudulent bank accounts for the bookies. He also advised people against lending their accounts to others. According to the Electronic Information and Transaction Law, anyone who facilitates online gambling activities can face up to 6 years in prison.

Hunting The Big Bookies
Calls are now mounting for Indonesia to beef up their fight against the major bookmakers as many find that the police so far have only been focused on catching the small operators and players — but not the big bookies. 

“The police should not just catch the small fish. We need to get the bookmakers,” analyst Adrianus Meliala said, adding that banks should also block accounts affiliated with online gambling. 

PPATK recently revealed that the money related to online gambling had flowed out of Indonesia into 20 countries including ASEAN members Thailand and Cambodia. Expert Bambang Rukminto suspected that this money could be related to money laundering activities. Bambang said: “This calls for a cross-sectoral cooperation. The government and the relevant institutions need to take this seriously in tracing the flow of online gambling money, be it at home or abroad. And of course, financial institutions need [the government’s efforts] as well.”

Reveal The Government Officials’ Names
Analyst Eko Nugroho said the government should publish the names of the state officials including regional heads and lawmakers who gamble online. According to Eko, people have the right to know whether those in power are abiding by the law. 

Minister Tito has threatened to reveal the acting regional heads who would not stop gambling online. As Indonesia inches closer to the regional elections, this sort of exposure is set to take a huge toll on their electability.

“We might publish [the names of those who gamble online]. Remember, we are getting closer to the regional election. Anything negative will certainly affect one’s electability,” Tito said.

The upcoming November election will elect governors in all 38 provinces, regents in 416 regencies, and mayors in 98 cities across the archipelago.

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B-Universe reporters  Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Hendro Dahlan Situmorang, Mita Amalia Hapsari, Ricki Putra Harahap, Yustinus Patris Paat, Gayuh Satria Wicaksono, Widy Wicaksono, Zikrullah Shubhy also contributed to the story.

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