Jakarta. Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed on Monday that more than half a million recipients of government social assistance are also suspected of engaging in online gambling activities.

According to PPATK data for last year, 571,410 individuals with registered national identification numbers (NIK) who receive social aid were found to have indications of participating in online gambling. In total, 28.4 million NIK holders were listed as beneficiaries of government social assistance programs.

“This means 571,410 of them are suspected of being online gamblers,” PPATK spokesperson M. Natsir said in a statement.

The agency recorded approximately 7.5 million online gambling transactions associated with these individuals, with deposits totaling nearly Rp 1 trillion. “And that’s from just one bank. If the investigation continues, the number could be much higher,” Natsir added.

Overall, PPATK has identified 9.7 million NIK holders who are either currently involved in or have previously engaged in online gambling.

Natsir added that the issue goes beyond administrative violations, as it includes the potential criminal misuse of state funds intended for poverty alleviation.

In the first half of this year, the government disbursed Rp 78 trillion ($4.8 billion) in social assistance to low-income households -- 57 percent of the 2025 allocation target.

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