Jakarta. The Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry has shut down three Instagram accounts with a combined following of over one million for promoting online gambling activities. The accounts—@mimin_storyy (774,000 followers), @awcogans (430,000 followers), and @meme.kocakk25 (177,000 followers)—have been removed.

Acting Director General of Public Communication and Media Molly Prabawati said that the ministry has blocked over 5.3 million pieces of gambling-related content from 2017 to December 6, 2024.

Between October 20 and December 6 alone, the ministry removed 478,659 gambling-related items, including 442,165 websites and IP addresses, 19,752 posts on Meta platforms, 10,163 file-sharing links, 3,936 items on Google/YouTube, 2,288 on X (formerly Twitter), 235 on Telegram, and 118 on TikTok.

Prabawati said that online gambling operators are employing increasingly creative tactics to lure users, such as memes, viral videos, and other engaging content. Many exploit fake accounts or profiles with large followings to share gambling site links, while others use deceptive symbols or terminology to evade social media detection systems.

“These ads target active social media users with tempting offers of big bonuses or easy wins,” Prabawati said on Saturday.

To combat the issue, the ministry has established reporting channels for the public to flag gambling-related content or accounts. It hopes these measures will curb the spread of gambling promotions across digital platforms.