UI Professor Stresses Maximum Law Enforcement to Eradicate Online Gambling

Professor Hikmahanto Juwana, an International Law Professor at the University of Indonesia (UI), has stressed the importance of maximum law enforcement to make the eradication of online gambling (judol) more effective. “The decline in judol activity needs to be appreciated. One thing that is highly appreciated is the work of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) which has carried out massive blocking of judol accounts,” Hikmahanto said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. He assessed that the various efforts made by the government in eradicating judol continue to show good progress over time, thanks to steps taken by various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. It is known that the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) recently reported a decline in the circulation of judol funds during President Prabowo Subianto’s era in 2025, reaching Rp286.84 trillion, or 20 percent less than the previous year. PPATK data revealed that the value of judol fund circulation had increased since 2017, from Rp2.01 trillion to reach Rp359.81 trillion in 2024. However, for the first time since 2017, PPATK recorded a significant drop in the value of judol fund circulation in 2025 to Rp286.84 trillion, or 20 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, the value of deposits also fell from Rp51.3 trillion in 2024 to Rp36.01 trillion in 2025. “The good results in 2025 do not mean the government can quickly become complacent, but rather should be an impetus to increase institutional synergy because judol can actually be eradicated,” Hikmahanto asserted. He also emphasised the importance of law enforcement against judol practices. The blocking of judol sites intensified by Komdigi must be aligned with firm and maximum law enforcement efforts. He reminded that judol is a transnational organised crime controlled by cross-border syndicates with servers and fund flows abroad. Foreign judol syndicates have even infiltrated and set up headquarters in Indonesia. PPATK analysis also shows that current judol transaction patterns are more frequent, dispersed, and tend to use smaller nominal amounts. “The judol problem has become a global issue that impacts the destruction of family economies, a surge in money laundering crimes even across countries, and a social crisis that damages the public’s mentality. Law enforcement cannot be taken lightly,” Hikmahanto said. “Do not just arrest the field operatives, but also the big bosses so that judol can be eradicated from upstream to downstream,” he added. According to him, the Indonesian government and law enforcement need to optimise cooperation with other countries and international law enforcement agencies to take action against judol bosses abroad.