Govt Blocks Online Gambling Platforms, Yet Countless More Reemerge

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Communication and Informatics Ministry on Wednesday claims to have blocked access to at least 410 online gambling contents they discovered across a multitude of digital platforms on a daily basis, Bisnis.com reported. 

Communication Minister Johnny G. Plate claims the ministry he leads has blocked 552,645 online gambling from 2018 up to July 31, 2022. However, he stresses that completely eradicating such online businesses is a challenge as new ones would emerge as the government blocks the ones they discover. 

“On average, there are 12,300 online gambling contents that are handled or blocked throughout January to July this year, which means 410 contents on a daily basis, but in those passing days, new gambling contents emerge,” he announced in a press conference on August 3.

According to the Minister, online contents are classified as such after a dedicated team from the Ministry verifies, clarifies, and classifies each and every discovery. The end process is often content blockages.

Gambling is a violation of Indonesian law under Law No.11/2008 on electronic transactions and information and Articles 27 (2) and 96 (a) of Government Regulation No.71/2019 on Electronic System and Transaction Operation.