Don't Let Indonesia Become the New Safe Haven for Online Gambling in Southeast Asia

Cybersecurity expert Pratama Dahlian Persadha from CISSReC believes that the raid on the international online gambling headquarters in the Hayam Wuruk area of West Jakarta serves as a warning to prevent Indonesia from becoming a new “safe haven” for online gambling operations in Southeast Asia. According to Pratama, the shift in locations for online gambling operations is a pattern that occurs following major crackdowns in several countries, including Cambodia. He stated that the perpetrators’ networks are not entirely severed, so they seek other regions considered safer to continue their operations. “So, the issue of online gambling is indeed a problem in many countries. Just recently in Cambodia, they were shut down one after another, with large-scale arrests. As a result, they moved everywhere. This is truly transnational crime,” Pratama said, quoted from Kompas TV on Monday (11/5/2026). “The problem is, the people are still around. Not all of them were caught. In the end, they look for places considered safe to operate. And they then choose Indonesia,” he continued. He reminded that criminals can rent large buildings and run operations with hundreds of workers inside. “Don’t let Indonesia become a safe haven for Southeast Asian online gambling operations,” he said. According to him, most of those arrested in the raid are not necessarily the main actors or network controllers. He noted that the field perpetrators generally consist of operators, customer service, admins, and other support staff. “From around 320 people, their levels vary. They are not necessarily the masterminds,” Pratama said. He assessed that what needs to be investigated further are the financiers, platform owners, and account providers used in transactions. Pratama said that the modus operandi of online gambling is now increasingly sophisticated and structured, including the use of crypto assets and cross-country networks. Therefore, he believes that enforcement should not stop at field perpetrators alone. “What needs to be deepened is who the financiers are, who the platform owners are, who the account providers are,” he said.