Indonesian Minister of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), Budi Ali Setiyadi, claimed that investigations by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) indicate that various illegal online gambling activities are linked to money laundering.
According to reports from news agencies such as The Star, Budi made this statement during a meeting with the House of Representatives' First Commission, which oversees communication and information, defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs. However, the minister did not elaborate further on the case.
Previously, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, revealed PPATK's findings that from January to March, the total transactions of online gambling activities amounted to 100 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 6.1 billion USD), which accounts for about one-third of the total transactions for the year 2023, estimated at 327 trillion Indonesian Rupiah.
However, Budi's statement led Nurul Arifin, a member of the First Commission from the Golkar Party faction, to question the minister's efforts in effectively eradicating illegal activities. She expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the ministry's proposed budget for 2025 in preventing online gambling, based on her observations of the department's current failures.
Minister Budi's efforts to eradicate illegal online gambling include forming special task forces and combating illegal online sites.
