West Java Deputy Governor Reveals Civil Servants Addicted to Online Gambling, Transactions Hit IDR 800 Million

West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan has expressed shock and concern over data revealing the involvement of civil servants within the West Java Provincial Government in online gambling activities, with transactions reaching up to IDR 800 million over a single year. The data, disclosed by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, has triggered deep concern, Erwan said. He noted that the total value of illicit transactions involving public servants at both the provincial and district or city levels has now reached tens of billions of rupiah annually and continues to climb. “I received complete data based on names and addresses. There is even a civil servant whose transaction value reached hundreds of millions of rupiah, up to around IDR 800 million in a year. This is certainly very concerning,” Erwan stated in Bandung on Tuesday. Erwan explained that with the largest population in Indonesia, numbering around 51 million people, West Java is now grappling with a critical social problem. He said the practices of online gambling and online lending are no longer merely targeting low-income communities; the online gambling mafia has now massively expanded its reach to officials, members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the National Police, and civil servants. Despite holding detailed data including names and addresses, Erwan stressed that the West Java Provincial Government has chosen to keep the identities of these civil servants confidential. Disciplinary enforcement will be led by the Inspectorate through a gradual internal guidance mechanism aimed at providing a deterrent effect. “We will request that guidance be carried out in stages, summoning the civil servants concerned, heads of regional agencies, and regional heads to strengthen supervision. We must not let cases like this continue to increase every year,” Erwan said. Furthermore, the West Java Provincial Government has also requested intervention and input from the Indonesian Ombudsman to address this complex issue, including other public service matters. Responding to the phenomenon, Indonesian Ombudsman member Maneger Nasution assessed that the involvement of state officials in the vicious cycle of gambling and online lending has tarnished public ethics. He added that it also has the potential to trigger maladministration in public services. “This is not just a legal issue, but also an ethical one. State officials should be role models, so this matter is also a concern for the Ombudsman,” Maneger said. He affirmed the readiness of the Ombudsman’s West Java representative office to strengthen government oversight and governance.