Jakarta. The Ministry of Communication and Digitalization has removed 277,084 online materials related to gambling since October 20, an official announced on Tuesday.

The crackdown comes as police continue their investigation into an online gambling syndicate allegedly involving 10 ministry officials, all of whom are currently in police custody.

Nursodik Gunarjo, the ministry’s director of media relations, said that the majority of the removed content consisted of individual gambling websites, totaling 256,102.

The remaining content was identified and taken down from social media platforms, including Meta (11,661), YouTube and Google (2,329), X (1,091), Telegram (59), TikTok (38), and one piece from the App Store. Additionally, 5,803 gambling-related materials were discovered on file-sharing apps and subsequently removed, according to Nursodik.

Several high-profile Instagram accounts with large followings were also blocked for promoting online gambling.

“The government will continue to combat any form of support for online gambling,” Nursodik said in a statement.

He further noted the growing presence of community groups on social media platforms that are actively promoting gambling activities.

“We are deeply concerned that content presented as entertainment is actually deceiving users into participating in illegal gambling,” he said.

In total, the government has blocked or taken down 5.2 million gambling-related websites and apps.

"We must protect future generations from the dangers of gambling, which can lead to addiction and reduce productivity," Nursodik added.

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