Surabaya: City of Heroes turns into a City of Gamblers

Antara News Agency/Surabaya

Inside the house in Tambak Sari area here, school children were playing coin-operated games for amusement, while a mother, who had brought along her baby, was playing for money.

"Surabaya used to be known as a city of heroes, but now it is popularly known as the gambling city. Gambling dens are ubiquitous in the city, ranging from arcade games to togel (the illegal numbers racket) aimed at the low-income bracket," said Sholeh, the executive director of the Nurul Islam Islamic Boarding School.

He said it was troubling that despite being officially illegal, gambling was so popular in the city, particularly as Indonesia has an Islamic background.

Sholeh was confident the new National Police chief Gen. Sutanto would be able to wipe out gambling before the seven-day deadline he set on Monday.

Sholeh said combating gambling was a daunting task for the police force, as it had become a deep-seated practice in society, allegedly backed by security and police officers.

"Wiping out gambling will be as tough as eradicating corruption. Like corruption cases, there are many police officers who have benefited from gambling," said Sholeh.

Local youth and religious organizations have complained of voicing their concerns over illegal gambling with the government and the police only to receive a half-hearted response.

Gambling dens and gaming sites can be found on Jl. Mayjen Sungkono, Andika Plaza on Jl. Simpang Dukuh, in the Surabaya Mall, the Mahkota building on Jl. Sudirman and many other places in the city.

"Surabaya has become the Macao of Indonesia. The symbol of Surabaya is a crocodile and a shark, but it no longer fits. It should be replaced with a picture of an arcade game and dice," said Luko Djoyo, a youth activist in Surabaya.

Gambling first took off here among the middle to upper class, but is now popular with people from the lower-income bracket.

There are two main types of gambling in the city: togel and coin-operated games. Both types of gambling are flourishing in the residential areas of Tambak sari and Tambak Asri.

"In each neighborhood, there are four or five gambling dens. The operators rent coin-operated machines from big gambling operators," said a community figure in Tambak Asri.

He requested anonymity, saying he was afraid of the network of gang members who profited from the illegal businesses. Luko estimated the turnover from gambling in the city reached Rp 20 billion a day.

Syukur Amaludin, a Surabaya councillor, said he had received countless reports of gambling in the city but was not confident it could be stopped.

Dudung, a youth activist, said gambling could never be eradicated as it was backed by security officers.

"Every Saturday night, you can see police and military officers turning up at the gambling dens, one by one, in order to pick up protection money," said Dudung.

Ali Maschan Moesa said the security officers had not been serious in combating gambling.

They would arrest the gambling operators but release them a few days later, he said.

"The House of Representatives should also propose an amendment to the Criminal Code law -- the amended law should stipulate stiffer sentences for gambling operators," said Sholeh.