Jakarta \u2013 Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid\nhas disclosed data on online gambling content and highlighted the flow\nof funds linked to the activity. The Ministry of Communication and\nDigital Affairs (Komdigi) is expanding its strategy to combat online\ngambling by targeting the entire chain, from the spread of content to\ntransactions and fund flows.<\/p>\n
She said that blocking websites and removing content alone would not\nbe enough to stop gambling in the digital sphere. Changes in offenders\u2019\nmethods mean the government must strengthen its response across the\nboard and involve multiple sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not enough just to cut off access or take down the content. We\nmust narrow all the avenues available to them, from content and\nplatforms through to the transactions and fund flows that keep the\ngambling ecosystem alive,\u201d Meutya said in a written statement received\nby VIVA on Tuesday (13 October 2026).<\/p>\n
Meutya explained that cutting off access to content remained an\nimportant part of the campaign against online gambling. However, she\nsaid, this needed to be accompanied by efforts to stop the transactions\nand fund flows that enable gambling to continue.<\/p>\n
The scale of the response is reflected in the volume of content acted\nupon by Komdigi. Between 1 January and 31 December 2025, the government\nhandled 2,087,109 items of gambling content.<\/p>\n
Of these, 1,809,358 came from websites and IP addresses. The\nremainder was found across various digital services: 122,366 items on\nfile-sharing services, 92,322 on Meta platforms, 43,475 through Google\nand YouTube, 16,526 on X, 1,882 on Telegram and 1,166 on TikTok.<\/p>\n
Enforcement continued in 2026. Meutya said that from 20 October 2024\nto 11 September 2026, Komdigi had handled 5.15 million items of negative\ncontent, of which 4.03 million related to gambling.<\/p>\n
The figures illustrate the scale of action against online gambling\ncontent. However, Meutya stressed that the number of items taken down\nwas not the sole measure of success.<\/p>\n
Blocking a website or address does not automatically dismantle the\nnetworks supporting the activity. Without action against the wider\necosystem, offenders can still use other channels to distribute content,\ndirect users and carry out transactions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/meutya-hafid-reveals-online-gambling-content-data-and-highlights-fund-flows-1791892351", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }