Cash Turnover in Single Online Gambling App Hits Rp27tn: Kominfo
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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Minister of Communications and Informatics (Kominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi revealed that the turnover of money in a single online gambling application could reach Rp27 trillion per year. He mentioned an application called Higgs Domino Island, where the money turnover was Rp2.2 trillion or US$150 million.
"This means that in one year, it can be up to about Rp27 trillion. That's just in one place. What's even sadder is that it's the poor communities who lose and become victims," Budi Arie said in a press conference at his office in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
Budi Arie cited another example, Judi Slot. He was informed that a person could spend Rp30,000 per day or Rp900,000 per month on the app. "Children are also victims. People are really at a loss," he said.
Kominfo, he stressed, had removed Higgs Domino Island from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. "We have also blocked thousands of websites and dozens of similar applications, including those that resemble gaming applications," he said.
He claimed that from July 2018 to August 7, 2023, the Kominfo Ministry blocked access to and removed 886,719 pieces of online gambling content, or 1,500 to 2,000 sites and dozens of applications per day.
More specifically, from the day he was sworn in on July 17 until August 7, 2023, the Kominfo Ministry blocked access to and removed 42,622 pieces of online gambling content. Despite the numbers, Budi Arie acknowledged that the efforts have not yet solved the problem of online gambling.
The rise of online gambling has been a concern for the government. Since his first day as Kominfo Minister and as instructed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Budi Arie has urged the Directorate General of Informatics Applications to quickly and swiftly eradicate online gambling.
