The fight against online gambling is shifting from blocking websites to cutting off the financial channels that keep these networks alive. Indonesian authorities now want to target deposit accounts, payment flows, and fake identities used to evade enforcement.
The new approach reflects how digital crime groups have become more sophisticated, using banking systems, electronic payments, and identity fraud to keep operating. To dismantle the ecosystem more completely, Kemkomdigi is working with OJK, Bank Indonesia, the banking industry, and law enforcement.
Stopping Access Is No Longer Enough
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said enforcement must go beyond shutting down sites. Speaking at the OJK Banking Forum 2026, she said the response has to address the entire ecosystem.
“The eradication of online gambling must be carried out comprehensively, and it must not stop at blocking website access alone, but must cover the entire ecosystem,” Meutya said in an official statement on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
She noted that online gambling networks now operate in an integrated way, from websites and deposit accounts to electronic payment systems and digital identities. For that reason, blocking websites alone cannot fully stop their operations.
The policy direction is also supported by Law No. 4 of 2026 on the Development and Strengthening of the Financial Sector, known as P2SK. The law mandates the formation of a cross-ministerial and cross-agency task force to combat online gambling.
Banks Are Now a Critical Front Line
Under the new strategy, banks are being positioned as the main line of defense for disrupting transactions. Deposit accounts are seen as the operational backbone that allows illegal activity to continue even after websites are taken down.
Meutya said website takedowns must be paired with cutting off the “neck” of the online gambling ecosystem, namely the deposit accounts. She said coordination among Komdigi, OJK, the banking industry, and law enforcement is essential to close those financial routes.
Stronger IT governance in banking and transaction-monitoring systems that detect suspicious activity are also part of the national strategy. At the same time, enforcement of Know Your Customer (KYC) principles is being pushed to prevent account misuse from the moment an account is opened.
Millions of Content Pieces, Thousands of Accounts
Enforcement efforts running from October 20, 2024 to July 12, 2026 have already produced large figures. Kemkomdigi recorded around 3.7 million websites and pieces of content related to online gambling that were taken down during that period.
Working with OJK, Kemkomdigi also identified around 38,000 accounts suspected of being linked to online gambling activity. After verification and cleansing, around 32,500 accounts were closed to cut off the network’s financial channels.
| Enforcement Action | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Websites and gambling content taken down | 3.7 million | Period from October 20, 2024 to July 12, 2026 |
| Accounts suspected of involvement | 38,000 | Reported together with OJK |
| Accounts closed after verification | 32,500 | Result of cleansing to block transactions |
Meutya praised OJK and the banking industry for strengthening monitoring of suspicious accounts. She also urged tighter oversight at the account-opening stage so misuse can be prevented earlier.
A Broader Response for a Safer Digital Space
According to Meutya, digital crimes such as online gambling can no longer be addressed sector by sector. Data integration, technology oversight, financial-system controls, and law enforcement must move together if the network is to be cut off at the root.
The approach now under way shows that the government is no longer focusing only on the visible front end of gambling sites. It is also targeting the infrastructure that keeps the operation alive, with the hope that cooperation across agencies and financial institutions will shrink the network’s room to move in Indonesia’s digital space.