By: Kurnia Aji)*
The case of placing Indonesian citizens (WNI) as online gambling admins or online gambling (judol) abroad has been uncovered again. A citizen from North Sumatra was successfully rescued at Sri Bintan Pura Port (SBP) Tanjungpinang when he was about to be sent to Cambodia. The method was the same as previous cases: the victim was tricked with the lure of a high salary, up to IDR 10 million per month. Behind the tempting offer, there is a hidden crime syndicate that not only violates the law, but also endangers the safety and future of its victims.
It should be noted that the offer of a high salary to become an online gambling admin is not an ordinary job opportunity. This is an entry point into organized transnational crime practices. The victim, with the initials MZ, was successfully prevented from leaving by BP3MI Kepri officers after it was discovered that he was going to Phnom Penh via Malaysia. According to the Head of BP3MI Kepri, Senior Commissioner Imam Riyadi, MZ’s departure was arranged by a syndicate network operating from Cambodia to Tanjungpinang. In this case, there were two main actors: one with the initials R who was in Cambodia and recruited the victim directly, and A in Tanjungpinang who facilitated the shipment.
Offers of working abroad with high salaries are often effective bait, especially for people who are facing economic pressure. However, as expressed by the Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI), Abdul Kadir Karding, the public must be aware of traps like this. He emphasized that anyone who is offered a job as an online gambling admin should immediately refuse. This illegal recruitment process only takes advantage of the ignorance and economic fragility of prospective migrant workers.
Online gambling is not a simple matter. It is a crime that has many layers. From a social perspective, this practice damages public morals, destroys families, and traps individuals in a cycle of dependency. From an economic perspective, online gambling drains people’s money, causes structural poverty, and damages the country’s financial order. Even from a legal perspective, online gambling has involved thousands of bank accounts that have become a means of money laundering and illegal transactions across countries.
Data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) shows that as of May 2025, around 17,000 bank accounts have been blocked due to online gambling activities. This figure has increased by around 20% compared to the previous month. This blocking shows the government’s seriousness in combating the online gambling network. The Chief Executive of OJK Banking Supervision, Dian Ediana Rae, even stated that her party asked banks to close accounts related to certain population identity numbers, as well as conduct a thorough examination (enhanced due diligence).
However, technical efforts alone are not enough if people are still easily persuaded by offers that appear “legal” but are actually illegal. One of the biggest challenges in eradicating online gambling is the rapid flow of information and recruitment through social media. The judol syndicate network targets people with a personal approach—through WhatsApp messages, direct calls, and fake job vacancy content that is packaged professionally. Therefore, it is important for people to have good digital and legal literacy so that they do not easily fall into it.
The government, through institutions such as BP3MI and the Ministry of P2MI, has attempted to prevent and dismantle this practice. However, supervision and legal action cannot be effective without the awareness and active participation of the community. In MZ’s case, fortunately the rescue process was successful before she was actually taken abroad. However, many have managed to escape and end up trapped in foreign countries, working under pressure, not being paid, and even becoming victims of violence and human trafficking.
Another danger to be aware of is that work as an online gambling admin abroad is often just a cover. There are many reports that those who are sent abroad for this work actually lose their passports, are locked up, or are forced to work without rights. This situation puts them in a very vulnerable and helpless condition. Instead of getting a high salary, they are trapped in modern exploitation.
Therefore, it is important to convey widely to the public that working abroad must go through legal procedures and official institutions. Legal departure guarantees the rights and protection of migrant workers. Do not easily believe recruiters who offer instant jobs without a clear process. Suspicion should immediately arise if there is a job offer with a high salary but does not include official information from the company, work contract, or work permit from the destination country.
Therefore, all elements of the nation must join hands to combat online gambling. Law enforcement officers must take firm action against perpetrators, both domestic and foreign. The government must continue to strengthen the system of supervision and protection of migrant workers. The mass media must be active in educating the public. And most importantly, the community must be the first line of defense to reject and report suspicious job offers, especially those related to online gambling.
Let us protect the nation’s generation from the trap of online gambling. Don’t let our brothers and sisters become victims of crime syndicates just because they are lured by big salaries that are actually fake. It’s time for us to unite our steps to voice resistance against online gambling and all other forms of digital crime. Don’t give space to this destructive practice, both in the real world and in cyberspace.
)* The author is a contributor to the Advanced Indonesian Youth Network
