Jakarta – The government continues to tighten supervision of online gambling sites that are increasingly disturbing the public. The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) is working with thousands of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) volunteers in an effort to eradicate this illegal practice.
Minister of Communication and Information, Meutya Hafid, explained that thousands of ICT volunteers spread throughout Indonesia have an important role in educating the public to use the internet positively.
“We are greatly assisted by the community who are independently willing to carry out activities in their respective communities in order to combat online gambling. There are 8 thousand ICT volunteers,” said Meutya.
However, Meutya emphasized that technological approaches, such as blocking sites, are not enough without support from various parties. She emphasized the importance of massive education, especially for families, so that the dangers of online gambling can be prevented effectively.
“The technological approach of blocking is not enough. We need to catch up with those who want to poison the internet with negative content. So education must also be done simultaneously,” he said.
On the same occasion, Deputy Minister of Komdigi, Nezar Patria, emphasized that online gambling is a serious threat.
He said that in accordance with President Prabowo Subianto’s direction, the government will continue to take firm action against perpetrators and distributors of online gambling.
“As President Prabowo said, online gambling is a big problem, a big enemy for the Indonesian people,” said Nezar.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) noted that the value of online gambling transactions in Indonesia reached almost IDR 900 trillion per year.
Nezar regrets the large amount of public money that is absorbed in this practice.
“We can imagine that such a large amount of money could actually be used for more positive things. However, the money just flew away and who knows where,” he added.
In line with government directives, Acting Director General of Komdigi Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, emphasized that his party has taken action against hundreds of thousands of online gambling-related content.
“In accordance with the direction of President Prabowo and Minister Meutya Hafid, we will continue to take firm action against parties who pollute the digital space with online gambling without discrimination,” said Alexander.
From October to December 2024, Komdigi has blocked more than 464 thousand online gambling-related content across various platforms.
Overall, since 2017 until now, the government has successfully closed more than 5.5 million online gambling contents.
Alexander also highlighted the dangers of gambling under the guise of online games which can harm society, not only in terms of finances but also mental health and personal data security.
The government is committed to continuing to improve supervision so that the digital space becomes a safer and more productive place for all Indonesian citizens.
