2,663 West Java civil servants flagged for online gambling addiction, dominated by contract workers

Bandung (ANTARA) - Government employees with work agreements (PPPK), particularly part-time PPPK, are claimed to dominate the list of thousands of state civil apparatus within the West Java Provincial Government detected as being indicated for addiction to online gambling activities throughout 2025. The West Java Regional Civil Service Agency (BKD) recorded that of the 2,663 West Java Provincial Government employees currently the subject of serious investigation, the part-time PPPK category constitutes the largest group of violators, totalling 1,091 individuals. “The number of ASN still under investigation currently stands at 2,663 people. They consist of 419 civil servants, a number of PPPK, and the largest group is part-time PPPK, at 1,091 people,” said Head of the West Java BKD Dedi Supandi in Bandung on Tuesday. However, after validation, 15 data entries could not be verified, as some individuals had already retired, transferred agencies, or had previously been subjected to disciplinary punishment. As an internal law enforcement measure, the West Java BKD is now grouping the violators into three categories. Intensive examination is focused on the third category, namely employees who brazenly engaged in online gambling repeatedly. The investigation team is tracking the timing of these gambling activities to see whether they occurred during working hours, as well as scrutinising the nominal value of financial transactions deposited by the perpetrators onto gambling sites. “We are comparing the transaction value with the take-home pay received by the ASN, namely salary and additional employee income (TPP). If the transaction value exceeds the income received, this is an indication for further investigation,” Dedi said. To date, the administrative sanction process is still being carried out by the heads of each Regional Apparatus Organisation (OPD) through the creation of official investigation reports. The BKD noted that at least 279 employees are currently under pressure and face the threat of disciplinary sanctions in the near future. “From the total data we hold, around 279 ASN are undergoing further investigation and potentially face disciplinary punishment,” he said. Based on preliminary interrogation results, the motives of these public sector employees falling into the world of online gambling vary, although the majority in the first category claimed they were just curious or that it was their first time engaging in the illicit activity. Regarding legal consequences, Dedi stressed that the type of sanction imposed will vary depending on the track record and severity of the transactions. Moderate sanctions may include postponement of periodic salary increments, postponement of promotion, or demotion by one level. “If the violation is repeated, particularly for PPPK, it could lead to termination of the employment contract or even dismissal,” Dedi said.