Indonesia steps up crackdown on online gambling after spate of gruesome deaths

He also asked all public figures, religious leaders and the general public to “monitor each other, and also report if there are any indications of online gambling”, admitting it was not easy to curb gambling due to its “cross-border nature”.

Gambling is a crime in Indonesia. Participants and organisers of gambling activities can get up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of 25 million rupiah (US$1,500), while distributors of online gambling software can get up to six years imprisonment and a 1 billion rupiah fine.

Indonesia last month established a multi-agency task force that will work with Interpol to rein in online gambling.

Indonesia’s communications ministry blocked over 1.9 million pieces of online content that promoted gambling from July 17, 2023 to May 21, as well as 5,000 bank accounts and e-wallets that were suspected of use in online gambling activities.

A wave of gruesome deaths tied to online gambling has been making headlines in Indonesia over the past year, underlining the diverse socioeconomic backgrounds of the victims and the challenges of the task force.

Earlier this month, a policewoman in the East Java province’s Mojokerto regency burned her police officer husband alive after he spent the couple’s bonus salary on online gambling instead of buying necessities for their three-month old twins.

The case caught the attention of lawmakers, who used it as an example when questioning Communications Minister Budi Arie on the online gambling situation on Monday.

13:19

The dark world of Asia’s online casino industry

On Thursday, the army confirmed that one of its officers in south Sulawesi admitted to embezzling 876 million rupiah of his unit’s money to fund his online gambling addiction.

In December 2023, a member