Indonesia: Ministry of Communication and Informatics advances campaign against online gambling

Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Informatics has shared positive results from its crackdown on online gambling. The measures implemented between July 2023 and June 2024 aimed to limit the dissemination of harmful content and illicit financial transactions linked to gambling.

Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi highlighted the ministry's achievements in blocking approximately 2,945,150 pieces of online gambling content during the stated period. This initiative forms a crucial part of Indonesia's strategy to mitigate the adverse societal impacts stemming from online gambling, including economic loss and social and psychological harm.

Beyond content blocking, the ministry has intensified efforts to disrupt financial channels used in online gambling operations. Collaborating closely with Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the ministry proposed the closure of 555 e-wallet accounts and sought to block 5,779 bank accounts linked to online gambling activities. 

Addressing the infiltration of gambling content into educational and governmental websites, the ministry identified and addressed 16,596 instances of gambling page inserts on educational platforms and 18,974 on government sites. This proactive approach underscores the ministry's commitment to safeguarding vulnerable digital spaces from exploitation by online gambling operators.

Minister Setiadi also emphasized the regulatory framework supporting these efforts, citing Law Number 1 of 2024, an amendment to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions. This legislation mandates strict measures to prevent the dissemination of prohibited content, reinforcing the legal basis for the ministry's actions against online gambling.

In addition to regulatory enforcement and content management, the ministry has issued stern warnings to major digital platforms, including X, Telegram, Google, Meta, and TikTok. These platforms face substantial fines up to Rp500 million per piece of non-compliant content if they fail to cooperate in eradicating online gambling materials from their platforms.

Looking ahead, the ministry is exploring the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from Google to streamline the detection and processing of online gambling content reports.