The Government is cracking down on online gambling, from social assistance recipients to international syndicates
By: Ratna Soemirat
The Indonesian government has demonstrated extraordinary decisiveness in eradicating the increasingly widespread practice of online gambling, both by individual perpetrators and syndicates operating the sites. Not only is it pursuing the perpetrators and owners of these illegal networks, but the government is also moving quickly to evaluate social assistance to ensure it doesn’t misdirect the public who abuse their right to gamble.
The first decisive action came from the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos), which announced it was evaluating 603,999 beneficiary families (KPM) suspected of being involved in online gambling. This figure is not speculative, but rather the result of an in-depth analysis by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), which compared social assistance recipient data with suspicious financial transactions.
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf, familiarly known as Gus Ipul, explained that of that number, 228,048 KPM had been removed from the list of social assistance recipients in the second quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, 375,951 others were still undergoing the evaluation process before deciding the fate of their assistance in the third quarter.
He stated that the initial data came from more than 32 million active and inactive social assistance recipients, whose data was submitted by the Ministry of Social Affairs to the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK). After initial matching, 656,543 individuals were identified as being involved in online gambling. This figure was then narrowed down to 603,999 beneficiaries after verification through the National Integrated Extreme Welfare Data (DTSEN) system.
According to Gus Ipul, the DTSEN system specifically flags recipients suspected of online gambling for further aid distribution. He revealed that recorded transaction amounts varied widely, from just a few thousand rupiah to over 3 billion rupiah, with an average deposit of around 2 million rupiah.
The Ministry of Social Affairs continues to maintain intensive coordination with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to further refine this data. The government is also committed to submitting all Population Identification Numbers (NIK) of social assistance recipients to the PPATK for further investigation. This step is being undertaken with the President’s approval, as mandated by Presidential Instruction No. 4 of 2025 concerning the National Data Entity List (DTSEN).
The Minister of Social Affairs emphasized that social assistance must be used for its primary purpose, namely to meet the basic needs of vulnerable communities. He deplored the misuse of aid for gambling, noting that many citizens still desperately need state assistance.
However, Gus Ipul confirmed that this evaluation will not reduce the overall social assistance quota. Instead, the government is expanding the recipient base by increasing the aid in June and July 2025. Beneficiary families who normally receive Rp 600,000 will now receive an additional Rp 200,000, bringing the total to Rp 1 million.
Social assistance revoked from beneficiaries suspected of online gambling will be diverted to truly deserving individuals, namely those in deciles 1 to 4 in the DTSEN system. The Ministry of Social Affairs is also opening the door for those who object to this decision, provided they can provide evidence and complete data, which will then be verified with the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Not only targeting individuals receiving social assistance, law enforcement is also taking structural action against online gambling activities. The Directorate of General Crimes (Dittipidum) of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) recently raided the headquarters of an international online gambling network with links to China and Cambodia.
This major operation took place simultaneously at several points in the Bogor, Bekasi, and Tangerang areas on June 13, 2025. The raid locations included the Cibubur Country housing complex in Bogor, two houses in Jatirahayu, Bekasi, and the housing complex in Villa Tangerang Regensi Baru.
The Director of General Crimes at the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, Brigadier General Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro, revealed that the network operated online gambling sites under the domains Akasia899 and Tanjung899, while the main server operated from overseas. The perpetrators were known to have used thousands of registered SIM cards to randomly send online gambling advertisements to WhatsApp users.
At least 2,648 mobile phone numbers were used to broadcast promotional messages. In one day, the syndicate was able to create up to 500 WhatsApp accounts for marketing purposes. Communication between the Indonesian network and foreign operators was conducted through Telegram and WhatsApp groups, including sharing phone number data and daily sales figures.
According to police, the proceeds from these illegal activities were disguised through various methods, including using accounts in other people’s names (nominees) and cryptocurrency transactions. The funds were then disbursed through various digital payment platforms, appearing to originate from legitimate transactions.
The raid, led by Senior Commissioner Donny Alexander of Sub-Directorate III Jatanras, resulted in the arrest of 22 suspects. They included individuals in server management, marketing, operators, and finance. During the arrests, authorities also confiscated hundreds of pieces of evidence, including 354 cell phones, 23 computers, 2,648 SIM cards, five savings books, and 18 ATM cards.
All suspects were charged under multiple articles, including Article 303 of the Criminal Code on gambling, the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, and the Money Laundering Law. State losses from these activities are estimated to reach hundreds of billions of rupiah in just one year.
This multifaceted enforcement effort demonstrates the government’s serious commitment to breaking the chain of online gambling, which not only disturbs the public but also threatens the targeted nature of social assistance programs. The government has emphasized that there will be zero tolerance for abuse of the system—either by individual recipients or syndicates profiting illegally.
*) Social Issues Researcher – Nusantara Social Studies Institute
