Police to crack down on gambling

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)