TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan did not say much about the government's legal steps to eradicate online gambling and its operators. The former head of the National Intelligence Agency said that as long as online gambling operators exist in Indonesia, the police will take action.
When asked if online gambling operators were located overseas, Budi declined to answer. "There are many things that we (the government) cannot disclose," said the former aide to 5th President Megawati Soekarnoputri after his inauguration as the head of the National Police Commission at the State Palace on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Budi Gunawan asked the public to give the online gambling desk he heads a chance to solve the problem. He mentioned that the government is tracking all accesses used for online gambling activities, whether through virtual private network (VPN) services or non-VPN.
The online gambling desk was formed after a meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs office in Jakarta on Monday, November 4, 2024. National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo will head the Online Gambling Handling Desk, with a working period of three months which can be extended.
As reported by Koran Tempo published on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, online gambling practices continue to thrive to this day, especially as the public finds it increasingly easy to access the internet. The forms and modes of gambling vary, making it easily accessible to people of all ages and social groups. Indeed, online gambling sites have mushroomed during the rainy season.
More than two million people are involved, according to the Financial Transactions and Analysis Center (PPATK). Players range in age from children under 10 to the elderly. The value of transactions from year to year is also staggering, not hundreds of millions or billions, but trillions of rupiah.
Based on PPATK data, the value of online gambling transactions in the past three years has increased sharply each year. In 2021, the turnover of online gambling money reached Rp57 trillion. The amount increased to Rp81 trillion in 2022. The following year, there was a sharp increase, reaching Rp327 trillion in 2023.
In 2024, the value of online gambling transactions goes beyond mere amazement. In the first three months of 2024, the value even exceeded the full-year amount of 2023. PPATK recorded that online gambling transactions in January-March had already reached Rp600 trillion.
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