Indonesia Starts Year with Record Online Gambling Ad Ban
The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has reported blocking 43,063 online gambling-related digital content within the first six days of the year.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:In a statement issued on Tuesday, Molly Prabawaty, Acting Director General of Public Communication and Media at the Komdigi Ministry, confirmed that the blocked digital content included social media accounts and websites.
She further noted that between October 20, 2024 and January 6, 2025, the ministry blocked 711,522 online gambling-related items following tips from the public and institutions.
The blocked items comprised 652,147 website/IP addresses, 29,964 Meta posts, 17,836 file-sharing links, 6,842 Google/YouTube content, 4,075 X posts, 435 Telegram messages, and 219 TikTok videos.
Prabawaty added that the government has successfully removed around 5.5 million digital advertisements related to online gambling since 2017.
Additionally, she noted that her team had blocked several social media accounts, notably on Instagram, that were using their substantial follower base to promote online gambling websites.
The Director General emphasized that successful prevention of online gambling requires a collective approach, particularly from community members and parents, who play a vital role in monitoring and guiding the online activities of their children. As such, the official appealed to parents to protect their children from exposure to video games linked to online gambling.
She concluded by urging the public to report online gambling-related digital content to the authorities through various laid-down channels such as the ministry’s website, WhatsApp number and the anti-online gambling chatbot.
More Regulation News
Cracking Down on Illegal Gambling
Gambling is largely prohibited in Indonesia under Islamic law and the country’s criminal code. Over the years, the country has implemented several measures to enforce the ban and crack down on illegal gambling activities.
Last November, Komdigi announced that it adopted cutting-edge tools like artificial intelligence to detect and remove gambling-related content.
The country’s central bank, Bank Indonesia, is also collaborating with payment service providers, including banks and non-bank institutions, to freeze accounts linked to online gambling operations.
In addition to these initiatives, the government is also focusing on improving digital literacy among the Indonesian population. In 2024, training programs reached over 165,000 participants across 27 provinces.
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