Government Tightens Supervision of Social Assistance Utilization, Prevents Misuse for Online Gambling
Jakarta – The government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that social assistance (bansos) funds are used to meet the community’s basic needs. This affirmation was made following increasing findings of misuse of social assistance for gambling activities, while also urging the public to be more vigilant against the existence of “kingdom groups” on Facebook, which are affiliated with online gambling practices and often target social assistance recipients with the promise of instant profits.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf stated that the government is not turning a blind eye to irregularities in the use of social assistance. Based on coordination between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), indications were found that social assistance funds were used for illegal online gambling activities. “This finding is a serious warning to all of us. Social assistance remains vulnerable to misuse, so stricter oversight is needed,” said Saifullah Yusuf.
He explained that data received by the Ministry of Social Affairs shows that social assistance recipients involved in online gambling come from various backgrounds and in significant numbers. This situation has prompted the government to strengthen integrated measures to ensure that social assistance is properly used for its intended purpose. “Social assistance must be used for food, education, and health, not for activities that harm recipient families,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has recorded an increasing trend in online gambling transactions nationally. West Java is listed as the province with the highest number of online gamblers, with deposits reaching trillions of rupiah. PPATK’s Director of Analysis and Examination II, Shalehuddin Akbar, said some of these players were identified as social assistance recipients. “We found more than 199,000 online gamblers registered as social assistance recipients, with total deposits of nearly IDR 300 billion,” he said.
He emphasized that social assistance funds should be used to meet the community’s basic needs. “The misuse of social assistance for online gambling is not only illegal, but also directly impacts the welfare of recipient families, especially children,” he said.
In response to these findings, the government designated West Java as a national pilot province for eradicating online gambling by establishing a Zero Online Gambling Team. Syaiful Garyadi, Assistant Deputy for Data Protection and Electronic Transactions Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, stated that this step represents a concrete government effort. “We are targeting West Java to be an online gambling-free region by 2026,” he said.
In addition to enforcement, the government emphasizes the importance of public education. The public is urged to be more wise in using social assistance and not be easily tempted by the lure of instant profits, including by being wary of the activities of kingdom groups on Facebook and other digital platforms affiliated with online gambling practices.
