"Indonesia steps up its fight against illegal gambling and fraud."

Indonesia is making a bold move to combat illegal online gambling and associated crimes. Earlier this week, the local government announced a shift to a more proactive strategy in tackling these online gambling activities.

For years, Indonesia has focused on shutting down illegal gambling websites. Newly released data from the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, reveals that the ministry has blocked around 3.7 million websites featuring illegal gambling content from October 2024 to July this year. In addition, Komdigi has filed 38,000 reports about accounts linked to online gambling activities. Following further investigations, approximately 32,500 accounts have been closed as part of ongoing efforts against illegal online gambling. Although the ministry's actions have been effective so far, the local government plans to further intensify its crackdown on illegal gambling. Minister Hafid confirmed that Komdigi will now work more closely with financial institutions, such as the Bank of Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK). Additionally, the ministry will enhance its communication with law enforcement and government agencies to tackle not only illegal gambling but also related crimes like money laundering, tax evasion, and the use of mule accounts. Beyond strengthening efforts against online gambling, the Indonesian government will also address scams, fraud, and other similar crimes that rapidly spread via the internet. Financial institutions in the country are urged to contribute to fighting these criminal activities by reinforcing their know your customer (KYC) policies and helping to flag suspicious transactions related to gambling, money laundering, or other potentially unlawful activities.