Indonesia Seeks to Curb $62 Billion in Online Gambling Funds Flowing Abroad
Jakarta. The Communication and Digital Ministry and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) have teamed up to combat the outflow of funds linked to online gambling activities.
The Ministry has asked PPATK to trace and eradicate these illegal operations. According to PPATK data, without further government intervention, the circulation of money from online gambling is expected to reach Rp 981 trillion ($61.6 billion) in 2024, with much of this money likely flowing overseas.
"This is a staggering amount, nearly Rp 1,000 trillion, and it is believed that the funds are primarily flowing out of the country," said Minister Meutya Hafid in Jakarta on Nov. 20.
She urged financial service providers to take an active role in addressing transactions and fund flows related to online gambling. "For those still involved in financial transactions supporting online gambling, let’s work together to monitor and stop this," she added.
The Indonesian government has also taken decisive action by establishing the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force. Additionally, a special team under the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs has been formed to address this issue.
"The President himself has repeatedly reminded us, both in Cabinet meetings and public statements, that online gambling is a common enemy that must be eradicated," said Meutya.
Meanwhile, the head of PPATK, Ivan Yustiavandana, mentioned that online gambling operators are becoming increasingly sophisticated in masking transactions, such as by using e-wallets and cryptocurrencies, making tracking more difficult.
From Oct. 20 to Nov. 18, the Ministry has blocked a total of 315,425 online gambling-related pieces of content. This includes 290,984 websites and IP addresses, 13,365 items on Meta platforms, 6,755 on file-sharing services, 2,711 on Google and YouTube, 1,450 on the X platform, 119 on Telegram, and 40 on TikTok.
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