Jakarta. Police have dismantled another online gambling ring, this time operated by a Chinese national. Previously, authorities arrested several suspects allegedly linked to the Communications Ministry, who were facilitating gambling sites.

The Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) has uncovered an international online gambling network generating billions of rupiah, arresting seven suspects, including one foreign national.

Bareskrim Polri Deputy Chief Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri revealed that the investigation began in October 2024.

“In October, we uncovered an online gambling operation on the SLOT 82-78 website, leading to the arrest of seven suspects, including one foreign national and six Indonesians, connected to a multimillion-rupiah turnover,” Asep said during a press conference at Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Saturday.

Asep explained that the site’s server is based overseas and operated by a Chinese citizen, with approximately 85,000 Indonesian users engaged in gambling activities.

According to Asep, the SLOT 82-78 website attracted users by allowing a minimum deposit of just Rp 10,000 without requiring personal information for registration.

“The suspects promoted the site on social media platforms like Telegram, and two additional suspects are still at large,” Asep added.

Authorities seized assets valued at Rp 70.1 billion, including cash, two vehicles, three mobile phones, and a laptop used to operate SLOT 82-78. The investigation also revealed that the funds were funneled through various companies managed by the suspects.

In a related case, the Jakarta Metro Police recently raided an online gambling office in a three-story building in Grand Galaxy City, Bekasi, West Java on Friday. It was discovered that several employees from the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry had allegedly been facilitating the gambling activities.

Jakarta Metro Police spokesperson Ade Ary Syam confirmed that 11 individuals, including ministry employees, have been named as suspects. Some are accused of abusing their authority, which was meant to block illegal gambling sites, to instead support these operations.