Analyst: Arrest of 321 Foreign Nationals Involved in Online Gambling Network is a Form of Protection for the Public
The Director of Rumah Politik Indonesia (RPI), Fernando Emas, stated that the Indonesian Police’s success in uncovering a transnational online gambling network by arresting 321 foreign nationals is a form of protection for the Indonesian people. According to Fernando, the Police’s success is an implementation of the vision of modern policing that is oriented towards protecting vulnerable communities.
“This action by the Police is a concrete form of the intelligent Precision Concept initiated by the National Police Chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a real commitment to the people, especially those who have been victims,” said Fernando in a statement on Friday (May 15, 2026).
Fernando believes that the arrest of 321 foreign nationals is not just a statistical achievement, but an effort to break the mechanism of exploitation against the lower and middle classes. These groups have been easy targets for promises of instant profits, which ultimately lead to debt and the destruction of families.
This action by the Police is considered a strategic step in upholding Indonesia’s digital sovereignty. The mass arrest of foreign perpetrators also sends a strong signal to international criminal syndicates that Indonesia is no longer a territory that can be easily exploited.
Fernando said that the success of this operation is seen as evidence of the effectiveness of the vision of the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo. The Precision Concept (Predictive, Responsibility, and Transparency with Justice) is considered capable of answering the challenges of increasingly complex and cross-border cybercrime.
Fernando emphasized that public support is very important so that the Police can continue to consistently face the evolution of digital crime. He stressed that upholding digital sovereignty is a shared responsibility that requires strengthening in terms of regulation, technology, and human resources.
“This momentum must be maintained and strengthened. Digital crime knows no bounds, so the resistance must also be comprehensive, coordinated, and relentless for the future of a sovereign and just Indonesia,” he concluded. (H-2)
The government has removed 11,000 social assistance recipients in the first quarter of 2026 because they are suspected of online gambling. Strict sanctions in the form of permanent removal are now being implemented.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has removed more than 11,000 recipient families of social assistance because they are suspected of misusing the funds for online gambling.
The Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that social assistance recipients who are proven to be using the assistance for online gambling will be automatically removed from the list of social assistance recipients.
The Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin), ensured that social assistance recipients who play online gambling will be automatically removed from the list of recipients.
The Indonesian House of Representatives highlighted online gambling across countries after the raid on Hayam Wuruk and asked the government to cut off the digital ecosystem as a whole.