The Indonesian government has taken measures to block internet access from Cambodia and the Philippines as part of its commitment to eradicate online gambling domestically.
Officials have indicated that this restriction might be expanded to more countries. Usman Kamsan, the Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, noted that the situation is being closely monitored.
Usman explained that these two countries were targeted because they host the most online gambling sites that infiltrate Indonesia.
Nevertheless, Usman also acknowledged that online gambling activities are likely to occur in many other countries. He mentioned that any further blocking measures would be considered based on their urgency and necessity.
He pointed out that other ASEAN countries also host servers that could facilitate online gambling, hence the government will assess specific needs and priorities before taking additional actions.
According to Budi Ari Setiad, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, the government has successfully reduced Indonesia's online gambling transaction volume by about 50% through the actions of the online gambling eradication task force.
According to data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) for the year 2024, the task force's efforts have reduced public access to online gambling by 50% and decreased the total deposits on online gambling sites by 34.49 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 212 million USD), as announced on Thursday, July 25th.
