Indonesia intensifies efforts against illegal gambling, scams

• Intensifying its efforts against crimes such as illegal gambling, money laundering and online scams, the government in Indonesia is shifting its approach
• Previously, the country focused on blocking illegal gambling websites
• Now, law enforcement, government agencies and financial institutions will collaborate even closer to combat such crimes

Indonesia is taking a decisive step against illegal online gambling activities and related crimes.

Earlier in the week, the local government confirmed it is shifting to a proactive approach in the fight against online gambling activities.

Millions of websites blocked, thousands of accounts closed

For years, Indonesia focused on blocking illegal gambling websites.

According to newly released data from the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), Meutya Hafid, the ministry has blocked approximately 3.7m websites containing illegal gambling content between October 2024 and July this year.

Equally important, Komdigi filed 38,000 reports about accounts tied to online gambling activities.

After further investigation, approximately 32,500 accounts were closed as part of the ongoing efforts against illegal online gambling.

While the actions of the ministry have helped so far, the local government plans to dedicate even more efforts to the illegal gambling crackdown.

As confirmed by Minister Hafid, Komdigi will now collaborate even more closely with financial institutions, like the Bank of Indonesia, as well as the Financial Services Authority, also known as OJK.

At the same time, the ministry will improve its communication with law enforcement and government agencies and crack down not only illegal gambling but related crimes such as money laundering, tax evasion and the use of mule accounts.

Besides strengthening its efforts against online gambling, the government in Indonesia will combat scams, fraud and other similar forms of crime that spread quickly with via the internet.

Financial institutions in the country are also encouraged to help in the fight against such criminal activities by strengthening their know your customer (KYC) policies and helping flag suspicious transactions related to gambling, money laundering or other potential unlawful activities.

Image credit: Pixabay.com