Jakarta. Communication and Information Technology Minister Budi Arie Setiadi claims his ministry has saved the state Rp 45 trillion ($2.8 billion) by blocking 2.6 million online gambling sites.

"Up to now, we have taken many steps, closing over 2,625,000 online gambling sites from July 17, 2023, to July 23, 2024... saving up to Rp45 trillion," he said during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Budi Arie also revealed that his department had closed 6,700 bank accounts and e-wallets used for online gambling transactions to curb the rate of online gambling.

These efforts aim to reduce the volume of online gambling transactions in Indonesia, which amounted to Rp 327 trillion in 2023.

According to the Online Gambling Task Force, Indonesia is home to 4 million online gamblers, with 80,000 of them being younger than 10 years old. Additionally, 440,000 others are between 11 and 20 years old. The financial intelligence unit PPATK also alleged that 1,000 legislators across the country had been gambling online.

Gambling is prohibited under Indonesian law. An online gambler can face up to 10 years in prison and/or fines of up to Rp 10 billion.

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