Jakarta Raid Uncovers International Online Gambling Syndicate
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian police have arrested 321 foreign nationals after raiding an office building in Jakarta suspected of housing an international online gambling syndicate.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Authorities said the operation targeted an active illegal gambling business that was allegedly being run from the Indonesian capital with support from digital infrastructure and a cross-border network.
Hundreds Arrested in Jakarta Raid
Police said the suspects came from several Asian countries, with Vietnamese nationals making up the largest group. Reports said those arrested also included citizens from China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.
During the raid, officers seized computers, mobile phones and cash believed to be linked to the operation. Investigators said the group appeared to have been running online gambling activity from the building for around two months before the raid.
Authorities said 275 of those arrested are currently under investigation for alleged gambling and money laundering offenses, while inquiries into the remaining detainees are continuing.
Operation Allegedly Targeted Foreign Customers
Preliminary findings suggest the Jakarta-based network was not mainly targeting Indonesian players, but customers outside the country. Police said suspects were detained while the operation was active, with investigators now working to identify individual roles and trace financial flows.
Indonesia maintains strict laws against gambling, including online betting, with penalties applying to operators, participants and those promoting gambling content online. Despite those restrictions, illegal digital gambling remains a persistent enforcement challenge.
Officials have estimated that online gambling turnover in Indonesia reached IDR280 trillion in 2025, roughly $16.1 billion, with millions of Indonesians believed to have participated in gambling-related activity.
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Regional Crackdowns Push Networks Across Borders
The Jakarta raid comes amid wider concern that online gambling and scam networks are moving across Southeast Asia as authorities in other countries intensify enforcement. Officials have previously warned that criminal groups displaced from Cambodia and other regional hubs may be relocating parts of their operations to Indonesia.
The arrests also followed another major enforcement action in Batam, where authorities detained more than 200 foreign nationals over an alleged online investment scam operation. Earlier this year, police in Bali also arrested dozens of Indian nationals in connection with suspected illegal online gambling activity.
The scale of the Jakarta raid makes it one of Indonesia’s largest recent actions involving foreign nationals and online gambling. Police said the investigation remains ongoing as they examine seized devices, financial records and possible links to wider regional networks.
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