Expert Exposes Loopholes Explaining Why Online Gambling Remains Prevalent in Indonesia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Cybersecurity expert Alfons Tanujaya assesses that the low digital and financial literacy of the population creates loopholes allowing online gambling to remain rampant in Indonesia. According to Alfons, the substantial profits gained by perpetrators lead to continuous open promotions for online gambling, from social media to messaging applications. “Because the profits are huge. That’s the core of it,” said Alfons, quoted from Kompas TV on Monday (11/5/2026). Alfons stated that Indonesia has a very large number of internet users. However, this condition is not yet matched by adequate digital literacy skills among the public. “Simply put, Indonesia’s internet users rank among the four largest in the world. But our society’s digital literacy is still relatively low. That’s what is exploited,” he said. “If the public’s digital literacy is good, they won’t easily believe promises of instant profits from online gambling,” he added. He also assessed that the public’s financial capabilities need to be strengthened so they are not easily tempted by digital gambling promotions. “If their financial literacy is good, they also understand that there are no big profits without effort,” said Alfons. According to him, the mindset of wanting instant profits makes online gambling promotions more easily accepted by society. “Now many people want to get money quickly just from likes, subscribes, and so on. If digital and financial literacy is strong, society won’t be easily tempted by things like that,” he said. He warned that the public’s digital skills should not be directed towards negative activities such as online gambling, illegal online loans, spam, and hoaxes. “We hope that the productive young generation can advance Indonesia in the next 10 to 20 years. But if they get trapped in online gambling and digital scams, that’s what’s dangerous,” said Alfons.