PPATK: Online Gambling Thrives Because Many People Play

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) continues to monitor the fund flow of online gambling in Indonesia. Gambling is completely illegal in the country, but the practice is increasingly widespread among societies due to technological advancements and a considerably high demand.

"Online gamblers are very good at eliminating traces through technological advances. They often change into new online gambling sites, move around, change accounts, even combining the proceeds from online gambling with legitimate businesses," PPATK head Ivan Yustiavandana said in Jakarta, Monday.

Ivan said that online gambling activities manage to thrive because of the high demand from the public. It allows online gambling providers to continue to grow and easily shift-shape when their operations are detected by law enforcement.

From 2019 to 2022, the PPATK has reported no less than 25 online gambling cases to law enforcement officials.

According to the PPATK, funds indicated to have come from online gambling had flown to various countries in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The PPATK has coordinated with financial intelligence agencies in the neighboring countries. 

There are also indications that online gambling funds have flown to tax haven countries, which poses a tracing challenge. The assets are reportedly worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah per year, and repatriating them back to Indonesia would be challenging.