Indonesian minister warns employees against online gambling
The ministry has issued a circular warning of strict disciplinary measures.
Indonesia.- Abdullah Azwar Anas, the Indonesian state minister for Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reforms, has issued a circular on the prevention and handling of online gambling in government Institutions. Circular number 5/2024 warns of strict disciplinary measures.
Anas said state employees involved in online gambling activities could face penalties ranging from warnings to suspension or dismissal, depending on the severity of the offence.
Anas urged government institutions to launch campaigns and initiatives to support the prevention of gambling. Central and regional governments are expected to conduct educational activities for state employees and non-state employees regarding the negative impacts of online gambling. Heads of government institutions will have to conduct periodic monitoring and evaluations of efforts to prevent online gambling. Institutions have been advised to report actions to the Head of the State Civil Service Agency (BKN).
See also: Indonesia tightens controls to curb online gambling transactions
3.3m pieces of content removed
Budie Arie Setiadi, Indonesia’s communication and informatics minister, previously announced that between July 17, 2023 and September 17, 2024, his ministry removed 3,383,000 pieces of online gambling content. The ministry also submitted 20,842 keywords related to online gambling to Google from November 7, 2023 to August 8, 2024 and 5,173 to Meta from December 15, 2023 to August 8, 2024.
During a press conference, Arie said he has asked the Bank Indonesia (BI) to block 573 digital wallets linked to online gambling. The government has implemented a monitoring system using artificial intelligence to detect websites associated with online gambling.
