Bandung Regency's Representative Council in West Java has identified 1,066 civil servants who placed illegal online wagers in 2025. Combined deposits exceeded $373,000. That marks a 74% rise in the number of participants compared to 2024, when 613 officials gambled online. Deposits grew 20% from $312,000 the prior year.
The council said it will seek criminal prosecution for all those identified. Under Indonesian law, players face up to five years in prison and operators up to ten. 'For those who are still betting: stop now. Do not wait for a summons,' a council representative told local outlet Bale Bandung.
Indonesia tightened enforcement following a 2023 case in which police uncovered a bribery scheme involving central government officials who took payments from operators to keep their sites off blocklists. Over eighteen months the government traced transactions worth nearly $5 billion.
The impact has been mixed. Central authorities reported a 13% drop in deposit volume in the first half of 2026, but transaction count rose 167%. Players are wagering smaller amounts more frequently.
Educational institutions present a separate problem. A survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) found that 40% of 300 schools and universities lack basic digital literacy on online gambling. Fewer than a third run education programmes. Mass participation by students and staff was recorded at 3% of institutions, with another 8% reporting isolated cases. 14% said they do not know whether gambling occurs on their premises.
The Ministry of Social Development suspended payments to 1.5 million families receiving food assistance early this year after their bank accounts were used for wagering.
