Indonesians have lost a total of $68.7 billion gambling online, the country’s government said, as it steps up its online casino crackdown.
The claims came from Alexander Sabar, the Director-General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), the Indonesian news agency Antara reported.
Speaking at an anti-gambling event in South Jakarta, Alexander said the government has calculated the public’s “potential losses due to online gambling” to be IDR 1,100 trillion, or almost $69 billion.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) compiled the figures, Alexander said. The PPATK is the country’s top anti-money laundering body. It operates a controversial automated transaction-monitoring service that scans residents’ bank accounts for online casino-related transactions.
The government has ordered welfare offices around the country to halt benefit payments to families whose bank accounts have been linked to online gambling platforms.
Alexander said online gambling poses a serious social and economic threat to the fabric of Indonesian society.
“These figures reflect the real impact on families, their well-being, and the future of this nation,” he explained.
Indonesians’ Gambling Spending Decreasing, Says Gov’t
The Komdigi official said cross-sector collaboration among the government, the public, and the private sector could help eliminate online gambling.
Alexander claimed that the government’s sweeping crackdown on online gambling was already having a measurable and significant effect.
The crackdown has seen the government freeze thousands of bank accounts and jail social media influencers who promote online casinos.
PPATK data is set to reveal “a significant decline in online gambling activity at the end of 2025,” Alexander said.
The official claimed the number of online gambling transactions may have dropped year-on-year by as much as 57%. He said the value of the deposits used in online gambling activities has also decreased by up to 45%.
Still a ‘Real Threat’
Alexander warned that the government should not rest on its laurels. He said the scourge of online gambling remains a “real threat” in Indonesia. And he said that, to defeat it completely, Jakarta must make “a sustained, adaptive and collaborative commitment.”
The Acting Head of the Communication and Digital Human Resources Training Center at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Dea Rachman, agreed that online gambling is now “the most dangerous digital threat to family welfare.”
“It’s not just the online gambler who suffers,” said Dea. “[A man’s] activities can also affect entire families. His wife could be in a panic, stressed because her money has disappeared. His child may not be able to attend school.”
Officials in several Indonesian regions say that online gambling is now a leading cause of divorce.
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Indonesians have lost a total of $68.7 billion gambling online, the country’s government said, as it steps up its online casino crackdown. The claims came from Alexander Sabar, the Director-General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), the Indonesian news agency Antara reported. Speaking at an anti-gambling event in South
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