From Cambodia–Myanmar to Indonesia, Online Gambling Syndicates Shift Headquarters

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The operational movements of cross-border online gambling (judol) syndicates have been detected shifting to Indonesia.

Polri has identified several cross-border cybercrime syndicates, including online gambling (judol), which previously operated in areas such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and other Indochina countries, now moving to Indonesia.

Secretary of NCB Interpol Indonesia at Divhubinter Polri, Brigadier General Pol Untung Widyatmoko, stated that this shift is occurring alongside the intensified enforcement against cybercrime networks in those countries.

“After the crackdowns, a shift to Indonesia has begun, which we have anticipated and predicted,” said the Secretary of NCB Interpol Indonesia at Divhubinter Polri, Brigadier General Polri Untung Widyatmoko, during a press conference in West Jakarta on Saturday (9/5/2026).

Among them are the arrests of 321 foreign nationals operating 75 judol website domains in the Hayam Wuruk Road area, West Jakarta, on Thursday (7/5/2026).

Additionally, police recently uncovered a cybercrime case in Batam, Riau Islands.

In the Batam revelation, hundreds of Chinese foreign nationals were secured by Class I TPI Batam Immigration officers from Baloi View Apartment, Lubuk Baja, Batam, Riau Islands, on Wednesday (6/5/2026).

“Yesterday in Batam, we uncovered the same issue, that following the crackdown on online operation patterns, both scamming—consisting of love scams, online investments, including online gambling,” said Untung.

According to him, this pattern of shifting could threaten the public, both Indonesian citizens and people abroad.

“This phenomenon shows that the threat of transnational crime, in this case uncovered by Tipidum Bareskrim Polri, online gambling whose targets are certainly not only Indonesian society, but also people outside,” he said.