he nation’s online gambling controversy has deepened following reports that Indonesians from all walks of life have become addicted to the practice, including some civil servants and lawmakers.
Over the past few weeks, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration has been scrambling to discourage people from engaging in online gambling, which is thought to have already affected 4 million Indonesians with an estimated total transaction value of around Rp 600 trillion (US$36.6 billion).
Gambling of all types, both online and offline, is punishable by a prison term in Indonesia, as is organizing a gambling event.
But online gambling sites are often advertised with attractive graphics on websites, making them seem like any other online game. Complicating enforcement, online gambling platforms are not commonly found on official application stores but are rather downloaded online in the form of file extensions.
Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) head Ivan Yustiavandana said on Wednesday that more than 1,000 members of the national and regional legislatures had been gambling online.
“We found 63,000 transactions related to online gambling. In terms [of its nominal value], it has reached almost Rp 25 billion,” Ivan said during a meeting on Wednesday with House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs.
He said the PPATK had found indications that some lawmakers had individually deposited billions of rupiah in online gambling sites.