Indonesian Army Shuts Down Online Gambling Operation
The Indonesian Army has dismantled an online gambling operation running out of a house in a military housing complex in East Jakarta, arresting 11 civilians in the process, the Army said on Thursday.
Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Donny Pramono said the raid, carried out on October 4, followed reports of suspicious activity at a property in the Cijantung Army Housing Complex.
It is the latest in a string of enforcement actions against illegal licensed online betting sites operators in the country, which has tightened its crackdown on unlicensed online gambling in recent months.
Computers and phones seized in the raid
"Following up on the information, personnel from the 0505/East Jakarta Military District Command and local authorities raided the location and secured evidence for further action," Pramono said, according to Antara News.
Personnel found numerous computers set up across several rooms in the house, which investigators suspect were being used to operate an online gambling system. All 11 people arrested were civilians, comprising six men and five women, Pramono said. They were taken to the military police unit for questioning and further investigation into their activities at the property.
Authorities seized 32 computers, 14 cellphones and nine personal identity cards during the operation, Pramono added.
Army says it won't tolerate illegal activity on its property
Pramono said the operation demonstrated the Indonesian Army's commitment to combating online gambling and preventing illegal activity at facilities under its jurisdiction. "The Indonesian Army will not allow facilities within its environment to be used for illegal activities that harm the public," he said.
The raid comes amid a wider, sustained push by Indonesian authorities against online gambling, known locally as "judol."
The country has previously moved to block gambling-linked content to curb transnational betting networks and has sanctioned hundreds of government employees found to be involved in online gambling activity this year, as officials continue to target both the operators running illicit platforms and the civilians recruited to help run them.
Part of a wider national crackdown
The Cijantung raid is the latest in a series of enforcement moves against online gambling in Indonesia this year. Earlier in October, the Ministry of Social Affairs said it had imposed severe disciplinary sanctions on 620 of its own employees found to be involved in online gambling, after the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) flagged roughly 1,900 staff for suspected gambling-linked transactions.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said the sanctions ranged from demotion to involuntary dismissal, with penalties set out in a ministerial decree issued this month.
Indonesian courts have separately handed down sentences against foreign nationals involved in running online gambling operations in the country, while regulators have continued blocking access to gambling-linked content as part of efforts to curb transnational betting networks. The Cijantung case adds a new dimension to that campaign, with the Army signalling it is prepared to act against civilians using its own housing facilities to operate illegal gambling platforms.
