Indonesia continues crackdown on online gambling content

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) has blocked access to over 800,000 forms of gambling-related online content, reports Gambling Insider.

Gambling – casinos, poker rooms, sports betting and bingo – has been banned in the country since 1974, but it continues to see gambling-related sites accepting Indonesian registrations globally.

Kominfo is led by Budi Arie Setiadi, who was appointed in May 2023 and is responsible for internet censorship, information affairs and communications across Indonesia. In less than 12 months since Setiadi’s appointment, he has overseen the prevention and removal of 805,923 forms of gambling content previously accessible in the country.

Such a feat has been achieved by working closely with the Financial Services Authority, telecommunications companies and internet service providers, with IP addresses, websites and payment methods all being blocked.

“This achievement is equivalent to the accumulation of online gambling content blocking that has been carried out over the previous five years,” Setiadi said.

The length at which the Indonesian authorities have gone in an attempt to rid online gambling from the country is evident in the breakdown of where restrictions have taken place. Almost 600,000 websites and IPs, over 170,000 Meta platforms, close to 30,000 file-sharing platforms and 15 TikTok accounts are among those who have been blocked from the Indonesian market as a result of this latest crackdown.

Indonesia’s Gambling Ban

While there is ongoing growth in online gambling throughout Asia, Indonesia remains steadfast in its approach to ensuring gambling of any kind remains strictly prohibited throughout its 34 different provinces.

Gambling in Indonesia has been illegal since 1974, but it was announced in 2012 that plans were in place to make all types of online gambling illegal, which was in reaction to large volumes of Rupiah – Indonesia’s national currency – were being gambled online during the European Football Championships in 2012. Those plans are beginning to come to fruition.

Indonesia’s strict Islamic Law is a key reason behind the country’s decision not to capitalize on Asia’s growing gambling industry, which is believed to be worth nearly $80 billion, according to Gambling.com.