Jakarta needs legal places for gaming: UI center<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A study center at the University of Indonesia recommended on
\nMonday that the city administration set up a government-regulated
\ngaming center to control the rapid increase of illegal gambling
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Head of the Structural Development Study Center, Prof.S.
\nBudhisantoso, said Jakarta needed an official gambling den as
\npart of an urban system in a metropolitan city.<\/p>\n
\"The administration should regulate gambling. Almost all
\nmetropolitan cities are equipped with controlled gambling
\ncenters,\" Budhisantoso told a discussion at Sofyan Hotel, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
He said the administration could set up a casino either here
\nin the city or on one of the many islands of Kepulauan Seribu
\n(the Thousand Islands).<\/p>\n
He said that regulated gambling could contribute to the city's
\nrevenue if the administration could control it.<\/p>\n
Budhisantoso, who is a professor of anthropology, said that
\nthe administration could not hope to put an end to illegal
\ngambling since it has become part of the culture for certain
\ngroups of people.<\/p>\n
The recommendation to legalize gambling was based on the
\ncenter's research.<\/p>\n
\"But it depends on the administration whether to use our
\nrecommendation or not,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He revealed that there were gambling activities in Kampung
\nAmbon, West Jakarta, and the area is relatively safe as the local
\nyouths are not involved in brawls or crimes.<\/p>\n
Conversely, the youths in the Matraman area of Central
\nJakarta, where there are no gambling houses, are often involved
\nin street fights and criminal behavior.<\/p>\n
The center's head researcher, Riza Hikmat, revealed that,
\nbased on its preliminary study, in general, gambling here could
\nbe divided into two types: numbers games and casinos.<\/p>\n
He said playing numbers, an informal, illegal type of lottery,
\n(locally called toto gelap or togel) was mushrooming in
\ntraditional markets and densely-populated areas, such as Pasar
\nGenjing, Central Jakarta, Jatinegara, East Jakarta and Pasar
\nMinggu, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He said a small-time numbers agent could earn between Rp 6.6
\nmillion (US$733) and Rp 13 million a week.<\/p>\n
But it was difficult to predict the income of the casino
\ngambling, which reportedly takes place in many areas of West and
\nNorth Jakarta, he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, legal expert Loeby Lukman said, according to the
\ncriminal code, gambling is forbidden, except if it has a permit
\nfrom local authorities.<\/p>\n
\"In the colonial era, the permit came from the Dutch governor
\ngeneral, while in the more recent past, the permits were issued
\nby then-Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin. So it depends on the local
\nadministration to legalize it or not,\" Loeby of the university's
\nlaw school, said.<\/p>\n
He agreed that legalized gambling could have some positive
\noutcomes, such as contributing to the city's income and creating
\nother economic activities.<\/p>\n
Most Jakartans realize that people can easily organize illegal
\ngambling rackets, which have allegedly been secretly and
\nillegally supported by certain government officials, the police
\nor military personnel.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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