Indonesia Blocks 3.7 Million Illegal Gambling Sites in Massive Crackdown
Indonesia illegal gambling sites have faced an unprecedented enforcement campaign, with authorities blocking approximately 3.7 million websites and online content since late 2024. The crackdown extends beyond digital platforms, as the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, together with financial regulators, identified around 38,000 bank accounts suspected of facilitating Indonesia gambling operations. Authorities subsequently closed approximately 32,500 of these accounts. The scale of the issue remains substantial, with online gambling transactions in the country approaching Rp 400 trillion ($25.79 billion) and an estimated 3 million active players involved. Over the past seven years, the ministry has altogether blocked 3.8 million platforms, with 2 million shut down in the last year alone.
Indonesia Blocks Record Number of Gambling Platforms
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid confirmed that authorities removed 3.7 million websites and pieces of content linked to Indonesia illegal gambling sites during the enforcement period beginning October 20, 2024. The ministry received substantial public support through the cekrekening.id reporting portal, which identified 156,000 suspected accounts involved in Indonesia gambling operations. Furthermore, officials documented 85,500 mobile phone numbers allegedly facilitating fraudulent activities.
Financial data reveals the crackdown’s effectiveness. Online gambling transactions declined sharply from IDR 359 trillion (USD 21.40 billion) in 2024 to IDR 155 trillion (USD 9.20 billion) through the third quarter of 2025. Deposits into gambling platforms dropped from IDR 51 trillion to IDR 24.9 trillion (USD 1.48 billion) during the same period.
Enforcement reached a milestone when Indonesian police detained 321 foreign nationals in Jakarta, including 228 Vietnamese and 57 Chinese citizens, during a raid on an operation managing 75 betting platforms. The suspects face up to nine years imprisonment and fines reaching 2 billion rupiah (USD 116,000). According to police, 275 individuals received formal suspect status. As of April 13, 2026, authorities had frozen 33,252 bank accounts, adding 1,000 more accounts to the blocked list that day.
How Does Indonesia Detect and Block Illegal Gambling Sites?
The Ministry of Communication and Digital employs artificial intelligence to identify and eliminate Indonesia illegal gambling sites. Minister Meutya Hafid confirmed that AI-based detection systems closed approximately 380,000 sites from October 20 onwards, encompassing 300,000 illegal IP addresses and thousands of advertisements on platforms including Meta, Google, and Twitter. The ministry deployed special cyber-patrols to detect sites and applications containing Indonesia gambling content.
Authorities adopted a dual approach combining digital scrutiny of internet traffic with financial transaction monitoring. The government shifted from reactive takedowns to pattern-based anomaly detection, accelerating data sharing through integrated systems. Hafid noted that gambling networks continuously camouflage operations, with one site generating up to 75 duplicate platforms to evade crawler detection. Crawlers systematically scan and index web pages through automated processes.
Research demonstrates that the IndoBERT model achieves 98.53% accuracy in detecting online gambling website promotions. Between May and June 2025, monitoring systems identified 453 potentially compromised webpages, confirming 346 as defaced across 147 unique websites, with mean response time reaching 74.7 hours.
Coordination spans multiple agencies. The Communications Ministry collaborates with the Financial Services Authority, banks, police, and social media platforms to monitor and remove gambling advertisements. Following the Jakarta raid involving 320 foreign nationals, Immigration Minister Agus Andrianto expanded surveillance at locations potentially hosting illegal activities.
Banking Sector Joins Fight Against Indonesia Gambling Networks
Financial Services Authority (OJK) directed banks to implement enhanced due diligence measures and freeze accounts connected to Indonesia illegal gambling sites. Chief Banking Supervisor Dian Ediana Rae ordered financial institutions to block accounts from September 2023 through December 2025. Banks received instructions to verify customer identities using National Identity Numbers and close any additional accounts linked to the same identification numbers.
In response, financial institutions deployed web crawling technology to identify accounts conducting transactions on Indonesia gambling platforms. OJK mandated banks to integrate Cyber Patrol modules into core banking systems, designed to detect mule accounts through identification of atypical high-frequency, low-value transaction patterns characteristic of gambling deposits. Banks strengthened transaction monitoring systems and refined alert parameters to enable earlier detection of suspicious activity.
Despite these measures, gambling syndicates adapted by migrating toward e-wallets and anonymous payment gateways. The widespread use of false identities and purchased account details continues to pose significant challenges to law enforcement.
OJK revoked licenses of six rural banks between January and March 2026 as part of regulatory and consumer protection measures. The authority emphasized zero tolerance for transactions linked to illegal platforms. Correspondingly, data from Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center showed online gambling turnover declined to Rp 155 trillion through the third quarter of 2025, down 57 percent from 2024.
