Military seizes slot machines from betting dens

Military seizes slot machines from betting dens

JAKARTA (JP): The military-sponsored Operation Cleansing team
has confiscated 178 slot machines from several shops and
amusement centers throughout the city.

The team, however, did not arrest any of the operators of the
one-armed bandits.

The largest haul were seized on Tuesday evening in West
Jakarta with 50 machines impounded, followed by East Jakarta with
47, North Jakarta with 31, South Jakarta with 26, and Central
Jakarta with 24.

A spokesman for the Jakarta Military Command, Lt. Col. Didi
Supandi, said yesterday that the real number of the slot machines
in operation here was quite larger that the total seized in the
Tuesday raids.

Didi said he believed that many of the operators had hidden
their machines after they got information from a circular
distributed by the municipality office several days before the
raids.

"The other possible factor which had partly foiled the raids
was that the operators had received a tip from other parties,"
Didi said.

At the Pasar Alam business center, in Kapuk subdistrict, West
Jakarta, for instance, the team had been informed by the local
military chief that there had at least 52 slot machines being
operated.

However, the team only found 20 during the raid, he said.

The sudden raids started at 8:30 p.m. with the support of the
local police units.

Mrs. Nurhayati, an operator of the machines, was quoted by
Antara as saying yesterday that she usually earned around Rp
100,000 (US$46.50) per day.

"Previously, when I first went into business, I could earn Rp
150,000," said Nurhayati, who owned two machines.

She said that she purchased the machines at Rp 2.6 million
($1,209) each from an agent in North Jakarta.

Praise

Meanwhile, city councilors praised the work of the military
and appealed to the authorities to uphold the raids.

"The lure of the machines stimulates people to try again and
again, even though they will only spend their money for nothing,"
said Muhammad Banang, a councilor from the United Development
Party (PPP) faction.

Councilor Sahala P. Sinaga, The Indonesian Democratic Party-
PDI, was worried by the fact that many school children had become
addicted to the game and would later waste their time and spend
their school fees on the machines.

"The city authorities should ban or strictly control the
game," Sahala said.

Councilor Subagyo (Golkar) reminded the city authorities to be
more selective in issuing permits for this type of veiled
gambling game.

"We have really been cheated by businessmen who produced the
machines," Subagyo said. (bsr)