RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Efforts to combat online gambling in Indonesia are showing results.

After rising every year since 2017, the value of online gambling transactions declined for the first time in 2025, according to the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

PPATK reported that online gambling fund flows fell 20 percent to IDR 286.84 trillion (around USD 16 billion) in 2025 from IDR 359.81 trillion a year earlier. Total deposits also dropped to IDR 36.01 trillion from IDR 51.3 trillion.

PPATK Head Ivan Yustiavandana attributed the decline to stronger coordination among the government, law enforcement agencies, regulators, and payment service providers in disrupting the online gambling ecosystem through content takedowns, financial monitoring, account freezes, law enforcement, and asset recovery.

“Every year since 2017, there has been an increase. The decline in online gambling fund circulation in 2025 sets a new record. This achievement is inseparable from President Prabowo’s decisiveness in leading the fight against online gambling and encouraging all elements of government to work together,” Ivan said in a statement released on Sunday, July 26, 2026, as quoted by infopublik.id.

Enforcement efforts have intensified in 2026. During the first half of the year, PPATK temporarily suspended 5,762 accounts linked to suspected online gambling, involving IDR 1.07 trillion in funds, and forwarded the findings to law enforcement for investigation and asset recovery.

Working with the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), PPATK followed up on 51 financial intelligence reports involving 132 gambling websites, leading to 27 criminal investigations, the blocking of IDR 255.76 billion across 5,961 accounts, the seizure of IDR 142.02 billion from 359 accounts, and the confiscation of assets worth IDR 588.61 billion for the state.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communication and Digital has taken down about 3.7 million online gambling websites and related content between October 20, 2024, and July 12, 2026.

Despite the progress, PPATK warned that the threat remains significant. Online gambling transactions still reached IDR 40.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, with deposits totaling IDR 10.59 trillion.

The agency also noted that operators have shifted to smaller, more frequent transactions to evade detection. In 2025, 78.5 percent of deposits were made through QRIS, accounting for more than 305 million transactions worth IDR 19.35 trillion, while the rest were made via bank transfers and digital wallets.

PPATK added that gambling syndicates are increasingly using shell companies, fake merchants, merchant aggregators, payment gateways, remittance services, foreign exchange businesses, fintech platforms, and digital vouchers to disguise illicit transactions, underscoring the need for sustained cross‑sector cooperation. ***