Indonesia Escalates Fight Against Gambling, Targets Accounts After Millions Blocked

Indonesia is escalating its fight against online gambling with an unprecedented campaign. Since October 2024, 3.7 million gambling-related sites and online content have been blocked there. These massive blocks demonstrate the government's resolute stance to curb illegal gambling activities. Now, financial channels are also moving into the spotlight.

Authorities are tracking suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers that may be linked to online gambling. This approach aims to sustainably disrupt the infrastructure of the illegal market, rather than just removing individual websites that can quickly reappear under new addresses.

Numbers and facts

Minister for Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, revealed these impressive figures. This occurred after the 2026 OJK Banking Forum in Jakarta. The statistics cover the period from October 20, 2024, to July 12, 2026. This includes websites and other online content suspected of facilitating gambling activity. The quantity of removals underscores how much Indonesia relies on content blocking.

However, domains can reappear under new addresses. Officials therefore have to repeat this exercise again and again. This has led to financial accounts and mobile identifiers receiving higher priority. Authorities are increasingly targeting the financial channels used by gambling services. The ministry has reported around _38,000_ suspected gambling-linked bank accounts to the Financial Services Authority, or OJK. Of these accounts, _32,500_ have already been closed.

The ministry's figures differ from an earlier OJK update in July. This update referred to _36,191_ accounts subject to enhanced checks or blocking instructions. This corresponds to almost _85.5%_ of all accounts reported by the ministry. Minister Hafid called for greater cooperation from banks to identify and block additional accounts. Closing financial channels might have a more lasting impact compared to domain blocking.

Authorities are also using cekrekening.id. This is a government portal for checking and reporting accounts suspected of involvement in fraud or other crimes. Users reported 156,000 accounts via cekrekening.id that are allegedly linked to online gambling. The ministry also received reports concerning 85,500 mobile phone numbers suspected of being used for fraud.

Background

Minister Hafid explained that the ministry is no longer just reacting to individual websites. It is evolving towards pattern recognition. In the next phase, pattern recognition in digital services will play a larger role. The plan includes faster data sharing between cekrekening.id, financial regulators, banks, and mobile identity authorities.

Such an integrated system could make it easier to compare websites, accounts, and phone numbers. It could also reduce the time between detecting suspected gambling activity and restricting the related financial or communication channels.

“The quantity of removals does not speak much about the speed at which gambling sites are able to return. A much more telling metric would be whether agencies can connect a new domain to its accounts and phone numbers before it builds another working payment network.” - Meutya Hafid, Minister for Communication and Digital Affairs Indonesia

Banks in Indonesia are already required to screen customers and perform additional due diligence if needed. This becomes increasingly relevant as law enforcement gets closer to payment activity. The government has taken down huge volumes of web content, but how quickly gambling sites are able to return shows that this strategy has its limitations.

Why it matters for German players

German players are familiar with similar efforts to curb the illegal gambling market. However, the methods and goals here are different. The State Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021) has created a regulated framework. This allows online gambling under strict conditions. The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) licenses and supervises reputable providers. Only casinos on the so-called GGL whitelist offer online gambling legally in Germany.

Unlike Indonesia, Germany's focus is not on blanket blockades. Instead, it is about channeling players to the legal market. The deposit limit of 1,000 Euros per month and the stake limit of 1 Euro per spin are examples of player protection measures. The central self-exclusion system LUGAS, through which players can exclude themselves, also plays an important role. While Indonesia is still grappling with the “whac-a-mole” problem, i.e., the constantly reappearing illegal offerings, Germany relies on prevention and regulation. Players should therefore always check whether an online casino holds a German license to play safely and legally.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

For GGL-licensed casinos in Germany, these developments in Indonesia have no direct impact. They operate under a clear legal framework. Their task is to comply with the strict requirements of GlüStV 2021. This includes not only the limits for stakes and deposits, but also the connection to LUGAS and stringent anti-money laundering measures.

However, the Indonesian approach of focusing on financial flows highlights a universal problem of illegal gambling. In Germany, too, illegal providers will repeatedly try to use banks or payment service providers. The GGL works closely with financial authorities here. The goal is to cut off these channels. German players should be aware that only GGL casinos offer legal certainty. They guarantee compliance with player protection measures.