Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has teamed up with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to prevent the outflow of funds linked to online gambling activities.
Based on PPATK data, the circulation of money from online gambling is expected to reach Rp981 trillion ($61.7 billion) in 2024 without any government intervention.
"The country cannot afford to lose such a large figure with almost Rp1 thousand trillion funds primarily flowing out of the country," Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said here on Wednesday.
She also asked all financial service providers to help eradicate online gambling.
"So, if there are still those who enjoy financial transactions related to online gambling, please let's supervise them together," she said.
Hafid reiterated the firm steps taken by the government to combat the illegal practice, including the issuance of Presidential Decree Number 21 of 2024 concerning the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force.
In addition, the government has formed a special team at the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs to combat online gambling.
President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all ministers in the Red and White Cabinet to declare war on online gambling.
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"The President has repeatedly reminded us, both in Cabinet meetings and public statements, that online gambling is a common enemy that must be eradicated," Hafid noted.
Meanwhile, the head of PPATK, Ivan Yustiavandana, informed that online gambling operators are using increasingly diverse financial transaction modes, such as e-wallet services and cryptocurrencies, making it difficult to track such transactions.
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In the period from October 20 to November 18, 2024, the ministry blocked 315,425 items of online gambling content.
They comprised 290,984 items on websites and IPs, 13,365 items on the Meta platform, 6,755 on file-sharing platforms, 2,711 on Google/YouTube, 1,450 on the X platform, 119 on Telegram, and 40 on TikTok.
