Jakarta – The government continues to strengthen concrete measures to combat the increasingly massive practice of online gambling, which has had a far-reaching impact on national social and economic stability. The latest analysis reveals that the value of money circulating in online gambling transactions in Indonesia has reached IDR 976 trillion. This finding serves as a serious alarm for all stakeholders to act quickly to close various loopholes that could lead to abuse of the national financial system.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), through the launch of Operation Honey Bee, reaffirmed its commitment to following up on various indications of suspicious transactions, both related to corruption and online gambling. PPATK Deputy for Analysis and Examination, Danang Tri Hartono, explained that this operation is part of a broader strategy to strengthen data-driven cross-agency collaboration.
“Through this operation, PPATK is encouraging the establishment of data-driven cross-agency collaboration, so that any indication of suspicious transactions can be immediately followed up in a measured, transparent, and sustainable manner,” said Danang.
He added that, in addition to preventing money laundering originating from illegal activities, this operation is also expected to increase state revenue through close collaboration with the Directorate General of Taxes.
In the 2022–2025 period, the PPATK’s collaboration with the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT) has successfully generated Rp4.48 trillion in state tax revenue, some of which came from investigating suspicious transactions. Danang emphasized that this step is not only aimed at prosecuting perpetrators, but also ensuring that financial intelligence products are optimally utilized in public policymaking.
“Through Operation Honey Bee, PPATK wants to ensure that the use of financial intelligence data does not stop at the analysis stage, but becomes the basis for policymaking, law enforcement actions, and the swift and measured enforcement of civil servant discipline,” he emphasized.
The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) has also taken swift government action, coordinating directly with PPATK to clean up the data of social assistance (bansos) recipients. As a result, approximately 600,000 social assistance recipients suspected of online gambling have been removed from the beneficiary list.
“One way we did this was by coordinating with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK). We discovered that more than 600,000 recipients of social assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs were suspected of participating in online gambling. We removed all 600,000 of those recipients. After further investigation, it was confirmed that this was true, and we removed these recipients,” said Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul).
This firm policy is clear evidence that the government will not tolerate the misuse of public funds, especially those sourced from social protection programs. The government ensures that social assistance will only be provided to those who truly need it and will not be involved in illegal practices.
Through cross-agency synergy between the PPATK, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and other law enforcement agencies, the government demonstrates its commitment to eradicating online gambling at its roots. This effort is not merely an enforcement effort, but also part of the transformation of the national financial and social system towards clean, transparent, and equitable governance.