MP: Uncovering Online Gambling Syndicate Serves as Alarm for National Cyber Sovereignty
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission I of the House of Representatives Yudha Novanza Utama stated that the uncovering of an international online gambling syndicate by the Indonesian National Police serves as a serious alarm regarding threats to national cyber sovereignty.
According to Yudha, the syndicate’s modus operandi demonstrates a highly systematic level of organisation, from the use of digital infrastructure and alternating domain management to avoid blocking, to exploiting cross-border mobility through international visit facilities.
“This case is not merely an issue of illegal gambling, but has evolved into a serious matter related to cybersecurity, national digital space governance, and the potential misuse of Indonesian territory as a base for transnational crime operations,” Yudha said in Jakarta on Monday.
The fact that the activities operated in the midst of business and office areas without easy detection, according to Yudha, shows that digital crime threats are now increasingly complex, adaptive, and capable of camouflaging in formal urban spaces.
In that context, Yudha appreciates the police for taking strategic steps to maintain the integrity of the national cyber space and prevent Indonesia from becoming a new epicentre for international online gambling networks in the region.
For that reason, he said the case should serve as a momentum for a comprehensive evaluation of cross-border digital activity oversight, strengthening inter-agency coordination, and the effectiveness of controls over digital infrastructure used for illegal activities.
“In addition, international cooperation needs to be strengthened considering the cross-border nature of such crimes and the involvement of transnational networks that continuously adapt to technological developments,” he said.
Commission I of the House of Representatives will continue to push for strengthening national cybersecurity policies, including ensuring that Indonesia’s digital space is not exploited as a means for illegal activities that could damage social, economic, or national security stability.
“The eradication of online gambling cannot be viewed merely as a law enforcement agenda, but as part of efforts to safeguard Indonesia’s digital sovereignty amid the increasingly complex global cybercrime threats,” he said.
Previously, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police arrested 321 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in international online gambling crimes at an office location on Hayam Wuruk, Jakarta.
Director of General Criminal Offences at the Criminal Investigation Agency, Brigadier General of Police Wira Satya Triputra, stated that the arrests were a follow-up to a series of lengthy investigations based on information from the public.