Indonesia: police addressed 77 cases of online gambling so far this year
The cases have involved 130 suspects.
Indonesia.- Ahmad Ramadhan, the head of the Public Information Bureau of the Indonesian National Police, has reported that the institution has dealt with 77 cases of online gambling involving 130 suspects so far this year.
The most recent instances occurred in September, with 42 suspects identified in two cases. The Directorate of Cyber, with assistance from the Bali regional police, arrested 31 suspects at the start of the month.
Ramadhan told Tempo that illicit online gambling syndicates had promoted their activities through websites, such as Hotel Slot 88, Auto Cuan 88, Jaya Slot 28, Oscar 28, and Sera 77, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and Suara Indonesia. Some employed fake accounts to lure people into gambling.
The national police have collaborated with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to target online gambling websites. Ramadhan said police are focusing on identifying and pursuing the people behind the operations, including coordinators and marketing employees.
In August, Budie Arie, Indonesia’s communication and informatics minister reported that from July 2018 to August 2023, the ministry blocked 886,719 pieces of online gambling content, averaging daily blocks on 1,500-2,000 sites and dozens of applications like Higgs Domino Island.
