By: Bara Winatha*)
The government continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to eradicating the increasingly alarming practice of online gambling, which has far-reaching impacts on the economy, society, and the integrity of the national financial system. On various occasions, state institutions such as the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) have emphasized the importance of a collaborative and systematic approach in tackling this form of organized digital crime. These efforts have resulted in concrete achievements, including the blocking of suspicious bank accounts, the reduction of transaction volumes, and increased public education across various regions of Indonesia.
Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, stated that a single approach—such as merely cutting access to online gambling websites—is not enough to create a deterrent effect. Therefore, the government is strengthening its strategy by cutting off the financial channels that support these illegal activities. She noted that freezing perpetrators’ bank accounts is a crucial step, as digital content can be easily recreated, whereas reopening a blocked bank account is far more difficult.
From October 2024 to the end of July 2025, Komdigi successfully removed nearly 2.5 million negative digital contents, around 1.7 million of which were directly related to online gambling. This success was achieved through a combination of public reports and automated monitoring technology based on crawling systems. However, online gambling operators have become increasingly creative in avoiding detection, including by exploiting algorithms and new formats for covert promotions on social media.
Furthermore, Meutya welcomed PPATK’s initiative in tracing bank accounts suspected of being linked to online gambling activities. This cross-sector collaboration will make enforcement efforts more systematic and effective. The combination of digital content monitoring and financial transaction tracking is seen as a way to comprehensively restrict the perpetrators’ movements. The banking sector also needs to tighten procedures for opening accounts to prevent them from being reused by gambling networks.
PPATK Head, Ivan Yustiavandana, said that the temporary suspension policy for inactive or dormant accounts, implemented since May 2025, has had a significant impact in curbing online gambling activities. He reported that the frequency of online gambling deposit transactions dropped sharply from 33 million in April to around 7 million in May. The decline continued into June, with only 2.79 million transactions.
Ivan also explained that the spike in transactions in April was linked to the Eid al-Fitr period, during which large sums of public funds circulated, some of which were misused for online gambling. Online gambling transactions reached IDR 5.08 trillion in April before dropping to IDR 1.50 trillion in June 2025. These findings indicate that the government’s intervention through the closure of dormant accounts directly reduced illegal financial activities.
In addition, PPATK has completed the analysis of 122 million dormant accounts based on data from the banking industry. Most of these accounts have been returned to the respective banks for reactivation after no suspicious activity was found. Throughout the process, PPATK ensured that customer data updates were carried out through customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) procedures in accordance with prevailing regulations.
Meanwhile, OJK’s Chief Executive of Banking Supervision, Dian Ediana Rae, said that the OJK had instructed banks to block 25,912 accounts suspected of being used for online gambling activities. This figure represents a significant increase from 17,026 accounts blocked the previous month. The blocking was based on data collected by Komdigi as part of cross-sector efforts to combat digital financial crimes.
In addition to blocking accounts, OJK has directed banks to proceed with account closures based on national identity data and to strengthen the application of Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD). OJK is currently drafting new regulations related to inactive accounts to prevent them from being exploited by online gambling operators or other criminal actors. Banks have also begun actively conducting internal cyber patrols, analyzing customer profiles, and monitoring suspicious activities that may indicate account misuse.
The Online Gambling Eradication Task Force, now under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, is concrete evidence that the government is not standing idly by in addressing this issue. OJK stressed the importance of integrated, end-to-end efforts—from content detection and account tracing to legal prosecution of perpetrators—rather than isolated actions.
OJK also ensures that banks remain active in supporting national economic growth, even amid the growing challenges of digital crime. With increasingly solid and responsive inter-agency synergy, the government is expected to be more effective in breaking the chain of harmful online gambling practices that burden both society and the state.
Efforts to eradicate online gambling are part of the national strategy to safeguard the integrity of the financial system and strengthen public trust. Collaboration among regulators, technical ministries, financial intelligence agencies, and the banking industry forms the main foundation for the success of Indonesia’s anti-online gambling policies. The government also continues to encourage collective public awareness to avoid falling into illegal practices that damage the nation’s economic and social future.
*) The author is a social and community affairs observer.
