Indonesia Freezes $36.2 Million in Online Gambling Crackdown
As part of a broader effort to combat online gambling, Indonesian police and financial regulators have launched a new wave of enforcement actions. The recent operations have resulted in the freezing of $36.2 million in gambling-related funds.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:According to Ivan Yustiavandana, head of Indonesia's Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), authorities have also frozen more than 5,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling activities.
The accounts were initially placed on hold in February, and subsequently, the Indonesian National Police issued orders to block them.
While the drive began under former President Joko Widodo, it has been sustained and intensified under President Prabowo Subianto.
Within the first six days of the year, the government blocked over 43,000 online gambling-related digital content, as reported by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi).
Since President Prabowo Subianto assumed office in October 2024, the government claimed it has successfully removed or blocked access to 900,000 gambling-related pages and posts.
The government has ordered internet providers to continue blocking online gambling websites.
PPATK has also been directed to monitor banking platforms for suspicious transactions potentially connected to online gambling.
The core objective of this law enforcement initiative is to protect the public from the social harms of online gambling, which often drives victims to drug trafficking, online fraud, and even prostitution in order to sustain their addiction. It can also lead to the breakdown of families.
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Citizens Lured into Gambling
Despite stricter enforcement, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that there has been an increase in Indonesian citizens seeking opportunities in online gambling abroad, especially in Cambodia.
The ministry raised alarm about Indonesian citizens being lured into working for online gambling operations in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam by scammers and human trafficking rings.
Authorities revealed that more than 5,000 Indonesians have been rescued from these international cybercrime syndicates since 2020.
The government has warned the public to be extremely cautious when considering job offers from other Southeast Asian countries.
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