Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf stated that the government will not tolerate social assistance (Bansos) recipients found to have misused funds for online gambling (judol). He emphasized that the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) will revoke the distribution of social assistance if recipients are suspected or proven to have engaged in such practices.
“Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf, also known as Gus Ipul, stated that he would revoke the distribution of social assistance if recipients misused the funds for online gambling,” the Minister of Social Affairs stated.
Data analyzed by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reveals the scale of this abuse. Entering 2025, PPATK reported that in the first half of this year, 78,000 social assistance recipients were still suspected of engaging in online gambling. The recorded transaction value was not insignificant, amounting to Rp542.5 billion from more than 3.7 million transactions, involving 132,557 recipients.
“Referring to the social assistance account data we have received, we found a total online gambling deposit of Rp 542,540,667,766, in 3,754,275 transactions, consisting of 132,557 social assistance recipients,” said Gus Ipul at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Central Jakarta.
At the regional level, firm action has also begun. In Batu City, East Java, the Social Services Department removed 186 social assistance recipients from the participant list due to their involvement in online gambling. The Head of the Batu City Social Services Department, Lilik Fariha, stated that the data was obtained from the Ministry of Social Affairs and then followed up at the regional level.
“Yes, a total of 186 social assistance recipients in Batu City were removed from their participant status due to their involvement in bribery,” he stressed, Friday (12/9/2025).
Lilik added that the primary purpose of social assistance is to help people meet basic needs such as staple foods and healthcare costs, not to misuse them. He hopes people will use this assistance wisely.
In East Java alone, the number of social assistance recipients suspected of online gambling reached 9,771, with total transactions worth Rp 53 billion. This figure indicates that the misuse of social assistance for online gambling is not sporadic but occurs on a significant scale.
The Ministry of Social Affairs, along with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and law enforcement officials, is committed to taking firm action against any misuse of social assistance funds. The government wants to ensure that the social assistance program is properly targeted and does not leak funds for illegal activities. This step also underscores the government’s commitment to eradicating online gambling, which is increasingly causing public concern.
