80 Thousand Children Already Exposed, President Prabowo Instructs Strict Action Against Online Gambling Perpetrators
Jakarta – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating online gambling practices that are increasingly rampant and detrimental to society. President Prabowo Subianto issued strict instructions so that there is no protection for online gambling perpetrators. The President emphasized that the eradication of online gambling must be carried out comprehensively and continuously.
To date, as many as four million internet users in Indonesia are involved in online gambling activities, of which 80 thousand are children. The data was revealed by the Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital (Wamen Komdigi), Nezar Patria.
“Currently, there are four million internet users in Indonesia who play judol every day, including 80 thousand of them are children,” said Nezar Patria.
Nezar emphasized that the government will not remain silent in facing the online gambling phenomenon which has a destructive impact on society.
“Online gambling is a big problem, a big enemy for Indonesian society,” he said.
Seeing this phenomenon, the government is still continuing its efforts to eradicate online gambling practices.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi)’s firm action in eradicating online gambling (judol) has again targeted the accounts of famous celebrity Instagrammers who have been proven to be affiliated with the promotion of illegal activities. This step was taken to protect the public from the dangers of online gambling which are increasingly rampant in the digital space.
The three blocked Instagram accounts include @nanda.feby06 with 428 thousand followers, @nagitaovely with 357 thousand followers, and @sayaafun with 762 thousand followers. Acting Director General of Public Communication and Media of the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Molly Prabawaty said that the three were actively involved in promoting the judol site and took advantage of the large number of followers to attract more victims.
“We will not tolerate anyone who uses their popularity to spread illegal practices such as online gambling. This is a serious threat to society, especially the younger generation,” he said.
According to him, this step is part of Kemkomdigi’s intensive efforts to eradicate online gambling. In the period from 1-30 December 2024 alone, 221,116 judol content, accounts, and sites were successfully prosecuted. Overall, from 2017 to the end of 2024, Kemkomdigi has blocked more than 5.5 million contents related to online gambling.
Kemkomdigi urges the public to be more careful in digital activities and report online gambling promotional content through platforms such as aduankonten.id, WhatsApp service at 0811-9224-545, and the Stop Online Gambling chatbot at 0811-1001-5080. In addition, the cekrekening.id website is also available to report suspicious accounts suspected of being used for criminal acts.
With the massive eradication of online gambling, it is hoped that the public can be involved in the eradication in order to create a digital environment that is safer, cleaner, and free from the threat of online gambling.
