By: Silvia AP )*
The government’s efforts to eradicate online gambling should be appreciated. The formation of the Task Force for the Eradication of Online Gambling has shown significant results. This step by the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force must receive appreciation and support from various parties.
Online gambling has become a serious problem that affects many aspects of modern society. With the development of technology, gambling practices that were previously limited to physical casinos and betting arenas, have now rapidly penetrated the digital realm. This phenomenon has not only changed the way people gamble, but has also raised a variety of complex social, security and legal issues.
Online gambling can cause serious addiction, similar to addiction to drugs or alcohol. This can damage an individual’s mental health as well as cause significant financial loss. Online gambling platforms are vulnerable to fraud and manipulation, both on the part of service providers and users. This creates a major challenge in maintaining security and public trust in the online gambling industry.
Many online gambling platforms operate in a legal or even illegal gray zone, avoiding applicable taxes and regulations. This harms the economy and reduces the resources that can be allocated for the public good. Online gambling can also have significant social impacts, including increased divorce rates, decreased mental health in society, and a potential increase in financial-related crimes.
In the midst of these challenges, governments in various countries have formed special task forces to tackle online gambling. This task force is a serious initiative to overcome and reduce the negative impacts of online gambling, as well as to uphold law and justice in the scope of cybercrime .
The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially formed the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs through Presidential Decree Number 21 of 2024 concerning the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force which consists of 15 articles. 4 states that the task of the Task Force in general is to optimize the prevention and enforcement of online gambling laws effectively and efficiently, increase coordination between ministries/institutions and foreign cooperation in efforts to prevent and enforce online gambling laws, as well as harmonize and determine the implementation of strategic policies and formulate recommendations in optimize the prevention and enforcement of online gambling laws.
In the Task Force there are members in the prevention sector, consisting of a number of stakeholders including the Ministry of Religion, Attorney General’s Office, TNI, Polri, BIN, and OJK. Then there is also the Daily Chair of Law Enforcement, namely the National Police Chief, and the Deputy Daily Chair of Law Enforcement is the Head of Criminal Investigation of the National Police. The members in the field of law enforcement are from the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Communication and Information, the Attorney General’s Office, BIN, BSSN, to the OJK.
The Online Gambling Eradication Task Force was formed with the main aim of preventing the illegal establishment and operation of online gambling platforms, carrying out in-depth investigations into illegal gambling practices and related activities, as well as educating the public about the risks of online gambling and voicing the importance of fair law enforcement.
To achieve their goals, this Task Force uses various advanced methods and technologies. This includes the use of data analysis to identify patterns of illegal gambling behavior, tracking suspicious financial transactions, and cross-border cooperation to confront illegal gambling platforms operating across borders.
The Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo), Budi Arie Setiadi, stated that the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force, after more than one month of work, had succeeded in suppressing up to 50 percent of access to online gambling facilities in Indonesia. According to Budi, according to data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) in 2024, the Task Force’s intervention has succeeded in reducing public access to online gambling by 50 percent and reducing a nominal amount of IDR 34.49 trillion in public deposits on online gambling sites.
Budi explained that as part of the Task Force, the Ministry of Communication and Information, among other things, carried out content moderation, cut off access to content containing online gambling, and carried out socialization on the prevention of online gambling through activities to increase digital literacy. The Ministry of Communication and Information will continue to carry out efforts to prevent and eradicate online gambling practices, he stressed.
Apart from that, the General Chair of the Central Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), KH Anwar Iskandar, appreciated the Government for forming an Online Gambling Eradication Task Force. The Chairman of the Central MUI also expressed support for the Government to eradicate online gambling and save the Indonesian nation. The Chairman of the Central MUI invites all elements of society to join hands and unite to save the nation from online gambling.
Apart from quoting Surah Al Maidah verse 90 which explains the prohibition against gambling activities. The chairman of the MUI, KH Anwar Iskandar, also stated that online gambling has a negative impact on the economy and the character of the nation’s children.
This Online Gambling Eradication Task Force is a proactive step from the government to overcome the increasingly disturbing problem of online gambling. By using a comprehensive approach, the online gambling eradication task force not only aims to enforce the law, but also to protect the public from the negative impacts of online gambling. Through the use of advanced technology and cross-border cooperation, this task force brings positive change in an effort to create a safer and fairer digital environment for everyone.
The quick action of all stakeholders in stemming the rise of online gambling should be appreciated, with all the resources at their disposal they are protecting the public from online gambling practices which are actually causing misery to the entire community. Online gambling causes the country’s economy to be destroyed, the community’s economy to be destroyed, the family’s economy to be destroyed and individual economies to be destroyed.
)* The author is from the editorial team of the Student Press Institute (LPM) Ideas