By: Safira Yusmin )*
The Indonesian government continues to strengthen its efforts to eradicate online gambling, which is considered to be damaging to the social, economic, and moral order of society. In this effort, various strategies are implemented, including strengthening digital literacy, monitoring financial transactions, and blocking online gambling sites. This comprehensive approach involves a number of ministries, institutions, and other stakeholders working together to create a safe and healthy digital space.
Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid, emphasized that digital literacy is one of the main pillars in fighting online gambling. She explained that a technological approach alone is not enough because online gamblers continue to find new loopholes to operate.
Therefore, the government is focusing massive education efforts on the community, especially young people and students. This step aims to increase public awareness of the dangers of negative content in the digital space, including online gambling which often targets vulnerable groups.
According to Meutya, existing regulations have actually provided a clear legal basis to eradicate this activity. She gave the example of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE) which already contains strict sanctions for online gambling perpetrators.
However, the big challenge lies in implementing the rules consistently in the field. In addition, education is an important complement to building public awareness so that they do not get caught in the trap of online gambling.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) also highlighted the economic impact caused by online gambling. PPATK Deputy for Analysis and Examination, Danang Tri Hartono, explained that the number of online gamblers decreased slightly from 9 million to 8.8 million in 2023.
However, the total transaction value in this industry remains very large, reaching more than IDR 43 trillion in just the first three quarters of the year. This figure shows that despite ongoing eradication efforts, online gambling is still a serious problem that requires strategic handling.
Danang said that one of the main challenges is the increasingly complex and difficult to track payment patterns. Previously, online gamblers generally used bank transfers or digital wallets to make transactions.
However, they are now turning to merchant aggregators and cryptocurrency exchanges, which allow transactions to be carried out through layers that are difficult to identify. In fact, some of them use trading platforms that are not directly related to gambling activities, making it difficult to monitor.
In order to face these challenges, the government has increased supervision of financial transactions, especially those involving digital currencies. Data on online gamblers who are detected making transactions are now being monitored more closely.
In addition, authorities do not hesitate to take firm action, including blocking accounts and reporting perpetrators’ data to law enforcement agencies for further processing. This approach is expected to be able to break the chain of money circulation which is the main foundation of online gambling site operations.
Another step taken by the government is to expand education to the public about the dangers of online gambling. Based on data, around 80 percent of online gamblers come from the lower middle income group, with incomes below Rp6 million per month.
These online gamblers show that online gambling often traps people in a cycle of financial loss that is difficult to escape. Therefore, the government continues to remind people to be wiser in using the internet and not be tempted by the promise of instant profits offered by online gambling.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital reported major achievements in blocking content related to online gambling. As of early 2025, 711,518 contents have been successfully blocked from various digital platforms. This blocking includes 652,147 websites, thousands of contents on social media such as Meta, as well as uploads on file sharing platforms, messaging applications, and online videos. This result was obtained through a combination of public complaints, reports from related agencies, and cyber patrols carried out actively by the government.
Acting Director General of Public Communication and Media of the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Molly Prabawaty, appealed to the public to remain vigilant against the traps of online gambling content. According to her, education and supervision must go hand in hand to protect the public from the negative impacts caused by online gambling. She also reminded the public not to carelessly open suspicious sites or click on links that could potentially lead to gambling platforms.
In supporting this effort, Kemkomdigi provides a reporting channel that can be used by the public to report online gambling content. The channel includes the official page aduankonten.id, WhatsApp aduan, and the Stop Judi Online chatbot. With this facility, it is hoped that the public can actively participate in helping the government eradicate online gambling.
Success in eradicating online gambling requires solid cooperation from various parties, including the government, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and the community. An integrated approach that includes technology, regulation, and education is believed to be the key to overcoming this problem. The government is optimistic that with consistent and coordinated steps, the digital space in Indonesia can be safer and free from negative content that is detrimental.
Through firm policies and continuous implementation, the government is committed to protecting the public from the negative impacts of online gambling. In addition, the government also invites the public to work together to create a healthy, productive, and free digital ecosystem from the threat of online gambling. With this collaboration, it is hoped that Indonesia’s digital space can become a more positive environment to support national development.
)* Public Policy Observer
