Danger Alert: Indonesia Could Become International Online Gambling Hub

The raid on the headquarters of an international online gambling (judol) network in the Hayam Wuruk area of West Jakarta serves as a new warning bell for Indonesia. Beyond merely being an easy market for online gambling, Indonesia is now assessed as having the potential to become a base of operations or “hub” for cross-border cybercrime. The case uncovered by the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency on Saturday (9/5/2026) demonstrates how international syndicates are beginning to exploit various loopholes in Indonesia, from increasingly robust internet infrastructure and visa ease to the society’s openness towards foreigners. A total of 321 individuals were secured in the raid. The majority were foreign nationals (WNA), comprising 228 Vietnamese, 57 Chinese, 13 Myanmar nationals, 11 Laotians, five Thais, and three each from Malaysia and Cambodia. Cybersecurity expert from Vaksincom, Alfons Tanujaya, considers the ease of infrastructure as one of the main reasons international judol syndicates operate in Indonesia. According to him, the quality of internet connections in major cities like Jakarta is now increasingly adequate to support large-scale digital crime operations. “This means the infrastructure in Jakarta, particularly in the relevant building (Hayam Wuruk), has improved,” said Alfons in the Kompas.com Newsroom Chat on Monday (11/5/2026). In addition to technological factors, Alfons highlighted Indonesian society’s culture, which tends to be friendly towards foreigners. This is evident from the activities at the Hayam Wuruk judol headquarters, which had been running for about two months before being raided by authorities. “So we learn again, no need to blame each other for what has happened,” he stated. He also touched on the visa on arrival policy, which is seen as facilitating the entry of foreign nationals into Indonesia. Therefore, Alfons hopes that the police and immigration authorities can strengthen coordination to prevent similar cases from recurring. Although the authorities only uncovered the case over the weekend, several residents claim to have long sensed unusual activities in the building. “Usually, there are many foreigners like Vietnamese around here. I’ve been suspicious from the start,” said Ananda to Kompas.com on Monday. However, he only learned that the activities were related to online gambling after the police guarded the location since Saturday.