Indonesia will soon sanction digital payment platforms that facilitate online gambling transactions, as announced by the government.
Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Budi Arie Setiadi, revealed on Saturday that his ministry has issued warning letters to 21 providers responsible for 42 digital payment applications.
These warnings were prompted by evidence suggesting that these platforms were being used for gambling-related payments. The ministry’s letter instructed the service providers to conduct internal audits of their payment systems and submit the findings within a seven-day window.
Setiadi stressed that failure to comply within this timeframe would result in administrative penalties.
This move is part of Indonesia’s broader efforts to combat online gambling. On June 14, 2024, President Joko Widodo signed a decree to establish a task force dedicated to eradicating online gambling.
In June, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported that it had blocked thousands of bank accounts connected to online gambling, amounting to a total of IDR600 trillion ($36.39 billion).
