The online gambling case or crisis in Indonesia has reached emergency level, threatening various aspects of people’s lives. This problem is increasingly worrying because the victims are becoming more and more massive, including the younger generation who are trapped from an early age, causing loss of life.
Law enforcement against online gambling practices should be appreciated. The government and security forces have shown serious commitment to eradicating this societal disease. President Joko Widodo has formed a special team to eradicate online gambling by blocking all online gambling sites. Apart from that, locations suspected of being places to play online gambling have also begun to be raided.
One tragic case that shows the serious impact of online gambling is the incident that occurred in Semarang. A man with the initials SR (32), who works as an online motorcycle taxi driver, was found hanging himself at his home on Wednesday (19/6/2024).
SR spent a lot of money and pawned his house certificate to play online gambling, but finally experienced despair and decided to end his life. The victim’s wife, who had just given birth, found her husband dead after receiving the last message entrusting their child.
“Before he died, the victim also pawned his house certificate because he ran out of money for online gambling,” said Semarang Police Chief Commissioner Irwan Anwar via short message.
Apart from SR, there were two teenagers who sadistically robbed and injured their victims with sharp weapons and were arrested by the Kenjeran Police, Surabaya, East Java. The perpetrator, who was still in his teens, was a convicted criminal who had just gotten out of prison. The suspect was determined to become a thief because he needed money after becoming addicted to online gambling.
According to the data collected, quite a few young people are victims of this gambling. Many of them fall into the trap because of easy access to online gambling sites and minimal supervision from the surrounding environment.
This condition is exacerbated by reports of victims experiencing severe depression, losing property, and even losing their lives due to the psychological and financial pressure caused by online gambling addiction.
It is hoped that strict law enforcement will be able to provide a deterrent effect to online gambling players, both bookies and players. Apart from that, it is also hoped that this step will be a lesson for the public to be more alert and stay away from detrimental gambling practices.
In an effort to prevent it, President Joko Widodo has formed an Online Gambling Eradication Task Force. The task force is led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto. This is stated in Presidential Decree Number 21 of 2024 concerning the Task Force for Eradicating Online Gambling which was established on June 14 2024.
The Task Force will directly involve the Police, State Intelligence Agency (BIN), and Indonesian National Army (TNI) to take to the field.
“Direct involvement from the Police with support from BIN and TNI is needed, who will go directly to the field,” explained Hadi.
Community participation and active role in monitoring each other and protecting the younger generation from the dangers of online gambling is also very important. Education and awareness of the negative impacts of online gambling need to be increased, both through educational institutions, families and communities.
Good cooperation between the government, security forces and the community is the main key in overcoming this online gambling crisis. By appreciating the law enforcement efforts that have been carried out, it is hoped that more parties will be moved to contribute to fighting this problem, for the sake of a better future for the younger generation that is free from the trap of gambling.
