Police to crack down on gambling

JAKARTA (JP): Police are no longer condoning any gambling activities and promise to intensify their operations against all gambling dens in the city, City Police Commander Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata says.

"We pledge to eliminate all gambling dens here," Hamami told reporters on Saturday.

According to Hamami, the city police will no longer tolerate the presence of gambling houses. He added that all gambling houses here are illegal.

Gambling in Indonesia, home to the largest Moslem population in the world, remains an illegal business. Nevertheless, a large number of illicit gambling dens operate in many big cities, despite a series of raids.

In Jakarta alone, police have discovered that a large number of houses and entertainment centers in North and West Jakarta have become gambling dens.

Police officers usually conduct raids on gambling houses on Saturdays. As a result, many gambling operators now run their illegal businesses between Mondays and Fridays, in an effort to evade arrest.

Police are said to have been aware of this, sources told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The latest major raid conducted by police took place in April, when 228 people were arrested and a total of Rp 45 million in cash was confiscated from a house on Jl. Mangga Besar, West Jakarta.

When asked by reporters about the possibility of legalizing gambling which, in turn, could provide the government with revenues, Hamami replied: "No way! Our government has banned any kind of gambling."

"There's no place for gamblers in this city," Hamami said. Moreover, "gambling can make people poor and miserable".

"No gambling men are rich," he added. (bsr)