The Indonesian government is intensifying its crackdown on online gambling, revealing that hundreds of thousands of social assistance recipients may be diverting funds to illegal betting activities. According to Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, 603,999 aid-receiving households have been flagged based on data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

Large-scale data cross-matching reveals suspected gambling

The Ministry of Social Affairs cross-referenced more than 32 million records from the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Basic Food Assistance (Sembako) against transaction patterns identified by PPATK. Initially, 656,543 families were suspected, but after eliminating duplicate records, that number settled at just under 604,000.

“This data matching results between social aid beneficiary families and those suspected of online gambling initially totaled 656,543 families. After deduplication, the number stands at 603,999 families,” Minister Yusuf said in a public statement on July 20, 2025, as reported by Radio Republik Indonesia.

Of those flagged, 228,048 families did not receive government aid in the second quarter of 2025. However, 375,951 are still active beneficiaries and will undergo further evaluation in the third quarter. The flagged individuals are now being identified and monitored through the National Social Economic Data (DTSEN) system.

Further revelations from PPATK highlight the gravity of the issue. Spokesperson M. Natsir disclosed that 571,410 individuals among aid recipients made 7.5 million gambling transactions amounting to Rp957 billion (US$57.2 million) in 2024—using data from a single bank alone. He cautioned that this figure could be far higher if all financial institutions were included in the probe.

“This means 571,410 of them are suspected of being online gamblers,” Natsir stated. He warned the misuse of social funds for gambling represents more than administrative failure—it is the “potential criminal misuse of state funds.”

Overall, PPATK has identified 9.7 million national ID holders with either current or prior involvement in online gambling. Among them, a significant overlap exists with the 28.4 million individuals listed as social aid recipients.

Government considers removing offenders from aid programs

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that the government is considering removing from aid rolls any individuals found to be using funds for gambling, narcotics, or terrorism-related activities. “If detected, we consider removing them from the social assistance recipients,” he said during a press conference at the Presidential Palace Complex.

According to Prasetyo, the DTSEN system enables authorities to pinpoint individuals by name and bank account, improving monitoring capabilities. “It is possible. Our data centre is now based by name and address. We can detect the person and their bank account,” he added.

Minister Yusuf said that flagged recipients will first be educated and evaluated before any removal decisions are made. Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Yassierli noted that such misuse of assistance is “beyond the government’s control.”

House Speaker Puan Maharani called for a thorough review of the findings, cautioning that some beneficiaries may be unaware their accounts are being used. “It’s possible they have no knowledge that their account is used for online gambling,” she said.

Indonesian National Police are actively pursuing China-Cambodia gambling networks

On June 13, coordinated raids in Tangerang, Bogor, and Bekasi led to the arrest of 22 individuals linked to illegal gambling sites Akasia899 and Tanjung899. Brigadier General Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro said the group operated servers in China and Cambodia and used Indonesian SIM cards to create hundreds of WhatsApp accounts daily, which were used to blast advertisements, as reported by Indonesian news agency ANTARA.

The syndicate’s leaders reportedly earned between Rp15 billion and Rp20 billion (up to US$1.2 million) over ten months, while operators earned monthly salaries ranging from Rp7 million to Rp10 million. Authorities also discovered the use of others’ bank accounts to obscure earnings, which were laundered via cryptocurrency disguised as payment for goods.

Police seized 354 phones, 23 computers, 2,648 SIM cards, 18 ATM cards, and a vehicle during the raids. The suspects now face multiple charges under Indonesia’s Criminal Code, the ITE Law, and anti-money laundering statutes, carrying prison terms of up to 15 years and fines reaching Rp1 billion (US$61,000).