He noted that other events must take action because it involves economic institutions and cross-border online transactions, even though Kominfo itself has prevented and taken down many of the popular gambling software.
” The web is global, cross- country, the server is in another country’s security apparatus… thus, the eradication of online gambling is not the task of one ministry quite as Kominfo”, Mr Budi said.
The secretary explained that more than 2 million online casinos have already been blocked, but new ones keep popping up.
According to information from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center ( PPATK), which Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto released in April, about 3.2 million Indonesians are engaged in online gambling.
“80 per share of them play under the value of 100, 000 rupiah”, Mr Hadi said.
Data also indicate a significant rise in online gambling-related purchases. Over the past five years, Indonesian citizens ‘ online gambling transactions have increased by more than 8, 000 % in value.
It was 3.97 trillion ringgit in 2018. More recently, the number hit 104.41 trillion ringgit in 2022, while next year’s count was 327 trillion dirhams, according to PPATK information released in May.
For the first fourth of 2024 only, deals equivalent to 100 trillion ringgit were recorded, said Mr Hadi as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
According to federal officials, there are also connections between funds fraud and online gambling.  ,
” It is not just online gambling, because there are several cases ( of money laundering ) where they got the ( illicit ) money from winning in gambling”, said communications minister Budi.
Caught IN HIGH- Attention LOANS
According to PPATK mind Ivan Yustiavandana, some people in Indonesia have resorted to taking out loans online as they are sucked into online gambling. He claimed that there is a more abundant supply of resources in the field of online gaming.
Mr. Ivan said the amount of the money was not little, as reported by Tirto on Wednesday, but he did not specify the number.
High interest rates are typically associated with online loans, especially those made available through illegal lending platforms. Many people who take out these loans to finance their gambling practice have become enroiled in debt and pain, especially when the losses from gambling are added.
According to the Center for Financial and Digital Literacy, there have been 14 deaths and attempted suicides in Indonesia since 2023, with the patients age ranging from 19 to 30 as of the date of the report from Media Indonesia.
A part of the Indonesian Navy shot himself in the brain at his Yahukimo, Papua work station in April, killing himself. The Indonesian National Army claimed in a formal declaration that the agent was depressed because of debts amounting to up to 819 million ringgit due to online gambling.
Earlier this month, another member of the military in Bogor, West Java committed murder, also reportedly due to online gaming.
One website gambler who did not want to be identified described to CNA how he became unhappy and had to buy his only bicycle to break his gambling habit.
The 40- yr- outdated office worker became stuck in 2022 and ended up borrowing up to 50 million rupiah to serve his addiction.
He explained to CNA that despite his best efforts to stop online gambling altogether, he has been attempting to break the habit.
” Gamblers are addicted if they win and eager to win if they lose, so they keep playing” . ,
He has stopped borrowing from online lenders and has only started gambling whenever he has money. He hopes to eventually stop playing the game completely.
” A gambler’s true victory is when he can stop gambling entirely”, he added.