Indonesia Steps Up Online Gambling Crackdown: $36.2M and Over 5,000 Accounts Frozen

⚡🇮🇩 Indonesian authorities froze $36.2 million in bank accounts linked to illegal online gambling. Head of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Ivan Yustiavandana, reported the blocking of over 5,000 bank accounts since 2020.

Large-Scale Account Freezing

According to the Jakarta Globe, the freezing of accounts began back in February 2025. The initiative was led by the Financial Transaction Analysis Center (PPATK), and later joined by the Indonesian National Police, who issued blocking orders.

Since the start of the operation:

Over 5,000 bank accounts have been blocked
$36.2 million linked to gambling sites has been frozen
Thousands of IP addresses have been blocked
Over 900,000 pages and posts related to gambling have been removed

New Leadership Intensifies Efforts

Although the anti-gambling policy began under President Joko Widodo, his successor Prabowo Subianto has further tightened control over illegal online gambling since October 2024.

According to media reports, the Indonesian government has ordered providers to:

Block gambling-related websites
Remove social media posts
Monitor banking platforms for suspicious transactions

Social Impact and Warnings

According to Yustiavandana, the main goal of the campaign is to protect society from the social consequences of online gambling. Authorities believe that gambling addiction leads people to:

drug use
online fraud
prostitution
family breakdown

Labor Exploitation and Fraud Abroad

Authorities are also seeing a rise in cases of citizens being drawn into the overseas gambling industry. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported numerous citizens deceived into working in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Since 2020, more than 5,000 Indonesians have been rescued from such situations. Typically, the scheme includes:

A fake job offer abroad
Transport to Southeast Asian countries
Forced labor without pay in near-slavery conditions

Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers Abdul Kadir Karding urged extreme caution when responding to such offers, especially from countries that do not have official agreements with Indonesia.

Other Countries in the Region Also Under Pressure

Indonesia is not the only country facing online gambling issues. Thailand is debating the legalization of gambling as part of the creation of entertainment complexes. However, tensions are rising within the coalition, as opponents of the initiative fear a government collapse.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra believes that legalization will help