Bandung Regent Warns Civil Servants Over Online Gambling Surge
The regent of Indonesia's Bandung Regency has ordered an urgent verification of data suggesting more than a thousand local civil servants placed illegal online gambling bets in 2025, and has vowed disciplinary action against anyone confirmed to have done so.
Bupati Dadang Supriatna said circulating data pointed to 1,066 civil servants (ASN) residing in Bandung Regency, West Java, linked to online gambling activity through 2025, with deposits totalling around Rp6.59 billion (roughly $373,000).
That marks a rise from 2024, when 613 civil servants were flagged with deposits of about Rp5.51 billion (around $312,000), an increase of 74% in the number of individuals implicated and 20% in deposit value, according to the local outlet Bale Bandung, which first published the regent's remarks on August 23, 2026.
"I am very disappointed. But as a regional head, we also have to act based on correct data and the principle of fairness," Supriatna said, adding that the figures did not automatically prove all 1,066 people were Bandung Regency government employees.
Verification Before Punishment
Supriatna has instructed the regency's Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDM) to cross-check the names and addresses against the local civil service database before any disciplinary process begins.
"I've asked that the verification process be carried out as quickly as possible. There must be no cover-ups, and no one must be protected," he said. Any employee confirmed to have gambled online would face sanctions under civil service disciplinary rules, he added: "If it's proven that a Bandung Regency civil servant has gambled online, I want them processed and given firm action."
Supriatna framed the issue as a matter of institutional integrity rather than an individual lapse, telling regional department heads and unit leaders to strengthen oversight of staff and step up awareness campaigns on the risks of online gambling on sports including local football.
He also raised the possibility of the regency coordinating with Indonesia's financial intelligence agency, PPATK, and law enforcement to reinforce prevention efforts.
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A National Problem
Supriatna cited PPATK data showing the national online gambling economy processed around Rp86.82 trillion in transactions in the first half of 2026, with deposits of roughly Rp22.05 trillion, calling it "no longer just an individual problem" but a broader social and economic threat.
The regent's warning lands amid a wider Indonesian crackdown on illegal online gambling that has run since 2023 and has previously implicated central government officials in a protection racket that took payments from gambling operators. Courts in Indonesia can jail illegal gamblers for up to five years and operators for up to 10.
Supriatna was careful to stress that the 1,066 figure has not yet been confirmed as accurate, asking the public not to pre-judge civil servants in Bandung Regency while the BKPSDM verification process runs its course.
The bigger test will be whether that process produces named, confirmed cases, and whether the regency follows through with the disciplinary action Supriatna has promised.
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