Educating Children and Blocking Social Aid Accounts: Government’s Serious Measures Against Online Gambling
By: Aulia Sofyan Harahap
The Indonesian government continues to strengthen its efforts to combat the rise of online gambling, which has become increasingly concerning as it now targets younger age groups, including children. Amid the advancement of digital technology that facilitates information access, risks such as online gambling, phishing, online scams, and illegal loans are also growing.
One of the government’s serious initiatives in addressing this issue is seen through Bank Indonesia’s (BI) educational efforts. Through its exhibition titled “Bentengan: Learning About Money Through Children’s Stories,” BI targets the most vulnerable segment to digital misuse—children. The exhibition runs at the Bank Indonesia Museum from July 15 to August 24, 2025.
This exhibition delivers its message not just through images or text but through interactive experiences combining traditional games like enggrang and bakiak, with modern games designed to educate. Children are introduced to the evolution of payment systems, from barter, post-office transactions, to today’s digital transformations. Using this approach, BI hopes children will better understand the concept of money, transactions, and the risks accompanying the digital era.
BI’s Executive Director of Communications, Jurnanto Hediawan, emphasized that children are highly vulnerable to digital crimes such as phishing, illegal online loans, and online gambling. He stressed that educational initiatives like this are crucial to protecting children from such threats. According to him, the exhibition also encourages children to keep playing, as play is not only enjoyable but also fosters social integration, coordination, and networking skills.
BI believes that financial literacy must begin early, especially to help children understand the value of money, the importance of wise financial management, and to recognize digital financial crimes. This initiative is all the more important given alarming data from Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), which reported that in 2024, 80,000 children aged 10 were already involved in online gambling. Among the 10 to 20 age group, the figure rises sharply to 440,000.
Bentengan Exhibition Curator, Syefri Luwis, explained that children comprise the majority of visitors to the Bank Indonesia Museum. On regular days, up to 13 school buses arrive at the museum, making it a strategic opportunity for BI to focus on delivering educational messages through engaging and enjoyable methods.
BI’s educational efforts are part of the broader national strategy to curb online gambling, which affects not only children and adolescents but also adults. Alarmingly, PPATK discovered that online gambling activities had reached recipients of social aid (bansos). The agency identified 571,000 social aid recipient accounts involved in online gambling transactions, some even linked to corruption and terrorism financing.
PPATK Head, Ivan Yustiavandana, confirmed that these accounts have been blocked after verification through National Identification Numbers (NIK). He reiterated that state social assistance funds must not be misused for online gambling. While the verification process continues, some account holders whose accounts were blocked have begun applying for reactivation after investigations confirmed no misuse.
Ivan also noted that the data released so far comes from only one bank, and the total number of accounts involved may be higher as investigations expand to other banks. From NIK-based matching, PPATK identified not only online gamblers but also individuals linked to corruption and terrorism financing. This underscores that online gambling is not a minor violation, but a potential gateway to more serious crimes.
Initial analysis revealed that gambling transactions conducted by social aid recipients approached IDR 1 trillion, highlighting the seriousness of the issue and strengthening the government’s resolve to tighten surveillance, including through cross-sectoral cooperation.
The government’s strategy emphasizes two key approaches: educational and enforcement. Through educational programs like BI’s, children gain early awareness to avoid digital traps. Meanwhile, through strict enforcement actions such as PPATK’s account blocking, the government demonstrates firm action against offenders and misuse of state aid funds.
This combined approach proves that the government is not passive in addressing online gambling. Early education and firm law enforcement are integral steps to protecting younger generations and safeguarding the integrity of the national financial system.
Given the growing complexity of digital threats, collaboration among financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and educational institutions is crucial. The government hopes these efforts will slow the growth of online gambling and create a healthier digital environment.
Public Policy Analyst – Bentang Nusantara Public Policy Research Institute
