Jakarta, The government continues to intensify the eradication of online gambling or what is also known as online gambling because it is considered to be one of the causes of the weakening of people’s purchasing power.
The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman revealed that based on the findings of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), the turnover of money in online gambling reached IDR 900 trillion per year and the allocation of spending to online gambling also had a direct impact on people’s consumption capacity.
“So imagine if A just got a remittance from his parents of Rp 2 million. Rp 500 thousand or Rp 1 million of it was used for online gambling, that’s already reduced,” he said.
He added that the trend of online gambling users has begun to decline since the government actively carried out control. Along with the decline, it is hoped that people’s purchasing power can increase again.
The decline in people’s purchasing power was previously reflected in the occurrence of deflation in early 2025. Data shows that in February there was a 0.1 percent annual decrease in prices.
This figure is the lowest deflation since January 2000. A Bank Indonesia survey showed that the decline in consumer confidence was caused by public perception of the difficulty of finding employment.
Previously, the Minister of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), Meutya Hafid stated that the government had blocked more than 1 million online gambling sites.
“We have blocked more than 1 million online gambling sites. But is the problem solved? Not yet,” Meutya said.
According to him, online gambling has developed into a national social crisis that requires comprehensive handling.
He appreciated the collaborative steps taken by various parties in the Gambling Alliance, which is definitely a loss, and emphasized the importance of the role of the family and the surrounding environment.
“We want the number of online gambling to drop significantly. The key is to strengthen public understanding, starting from the closest environment. We hope that Gojek driver partners can help educate the public about the dangers of online gambling,” concluded Meutya.
He also invited the participation of all elements of society to be at the forefront of eradicating online gambling which has damaged the foundations of life.