Jakarta. Indonesian police have ramped up their crackdown on online gambling following President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to eradicate the illegal activity. The recent arrests include influencers, artists, and students accused of promoting gambling sites on social media.

During a cabinet plenary session at the State Palace on Wednesday, Prabowo reiterated his determination to get rid of gambling, continuing stern measures by his predecessor Joko Widodo who had ordered the shutdown of all gambling sites.

In the past week, Indonesian police have executed a series of raids targeting online gambling networks, including individuals accused of promoting these sites on social media. Among the arrests, a social media influencer from Sukabumi, West Java, was taken into custody for promoting an online gambling site on her social media accounts. Investigations revealed that the influencer and her collaborator had made millions of rupiah from promoting online gambling.

Denny Wahyudi, a member of the House of Representatives from the PDIP faction, also acknowledged being summoned and questioned by the police in connection with a video he had posted promoting an online gambling site. Denny, along with 26 other artists, said that they were unaware they were promoting illegal gambling activities.

“Twenty-seven artists, including myself, have been questioned. We were all summoned by the police,” Denny said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

In another case, two female students from Bogor were arrested for promoting online gambling for a fee of up to Rp 10 million. They were active in promoting gambling sites on their social media accounts, receiving payments ranging from Rp 150,000 ($10) per week to Rp 10 million per month, depending on their reach.

Meanwhile, on Nov. 5, the Cyber Crime Team of the Depok Police in West Java dismantled an online gambling operation in Sukmajaya, arresting five individuals, including a student. Among those arrested were a bookmaker, three promoters, and a website creator.

Gunawan 'Sadbor,' a popular TikTok personality from Sukabumi, West Java, has been named a suspect in a case involving the promotion of online gambling. The case has garnered public attention due to Gunawan's live-streaming sessions, which regularly attract large viewership. During his broadcasts, Gunawan would dance with villagers in his community when viewers sent virtual gifts, reading messages from donors in the process.

Golkar Party politician Nurul Arifin commented that Gunawan's case highlights the naivety of the public regarding online gambling. She suggested that Gunawan's lack of awareness was exploited by certain parties to promote illegal gambling activities.

In a separate incident, Jakarta Metro Police raided an online gambling office in Bekasi, West Java, on Nov. 1, uncovering links to employees of the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry. Minister Meutya Hafid announced on Monday the suspension of 11 ministry employees implicated in aiding gambling operators to keep their websites running, despite a presidential directive to shut them down.

President Prabowo Subianto has made it clear that he will not tolerate any government officials or members of the security forces who use their influence to shield online gambling operations. 

The following day, the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) dismantled an international gambling network, that served approximately 85,000 Indonesian users, and arrested seven suspects, including a Chinese national who allegedly managed the overseas-based server.

Additionally, the Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported that it has blocked 13,481 bank accounts suspected of facilitating illegal online gambling transactions. In the third quarter of 2024 alone, the financial crime watchdog froze approximately Rp 280 trillion ($17.77 billion) in these accounts.

Ivan, head of the PPATK, explained that while individual online gambling transactions have decreased in value, the sheer volume of small transactions has increased significantly. "Instead of large amounts being transferred into one account, transactions are now being broken into smaller amounts across many accounts, which has made the flow of money much more massive," he said.

Online gambling has become so widespread in Indonesia that even lawmakers are involved. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) recently revealed that over 1,000 members of both the national and regional House of Representatives have participated in online gambling, with total bets reaching around Rp 25 billion ($1.5 million) across 65,000 transactions. The identities of these lawmakers have yet to be disclosed.

Gambling is a crime under Indonesian law, punishable by up to six years’ imprisonment.